Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure and facing one of the defining crises of his leadership of Labour so far, with Muslim MPs, councillors and activists criticising his robust stance on the Middle East crisis.

This afternoon Starmer, along with his deputy Angela Rayner, met with a group of Muslim MPs who called for him to back a ceasefire and condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza. A Labour spokesperson called the meeting “constructive”.