Jess Phillips among ten MPs in Keir Starmer's frontbench to defy whip and vote for Gaza ceasefire amendment

Sir Keir Starmer faced with a huge rebellion from his parliamentary party on Wednesday evening after 56 MPs defied a three-line whip to back an SNP amendment calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Ten frontbenchers, including Jess Phillips, quit their roles as shadow ministers in order to back the amendment, which was rejected 293 to 125, with a majority of 168.

In a resignation letter, the Birmingham Yardley MP wrote: “This week has been one of the toughest weeks in politics since I entered Parliament.

“I have tried to do everything that I could to make it so that this was not the outcome, but it is with a heavy heart that I will be leaving my post in the Shadow Home Office team.

“On this occasion I must vote with my constituents, my head, and my heart which has felt as if it were breaking over the last four weeks with the horror of the situation in Israel and Palestine.

“I can see no route where the current military action does anything but put at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future.”

The division list showed shadow ministers who supported the ceasefire amendment included Paula Barker, Rachel Hopkins, Afzal Khan, Sarah Owen, Jess Phillips, Naz Shah, Andy Slaughter, Mary Kelly Foy, Dan Carden, and Yasmin Qureshi.

The SNP tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for a ceasefire which was selected for a vote by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Labour MPs were ordered to abstain on the SNP move and have instead been told to back Sir Keir’s position calling for longer “humanitarian pauses” rather than a ceasefire.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters shut down the main road outside the Houses of Parliament ahead of the vote.

Huge crowds were seen in Westminster, waving flags, holding placards, and chanting 'ceasefire now'.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We are on scene at a large pro-Palestinian demonstration taking place opposite the Houses of Parliament this evening.

"Traffic continues to flow, there are diversions in place.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said Parliament must “show moral leadership” and urged MPs to vote in favour of backing an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran told the Commons on Wednesday evening that one of her family members in Gaza had died earlier in the day.

Ms Moran, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said it was the “most difficult day” she had had to endure in her parliamentary career.

She told the Commons: “I wanted to let the House know that today I lost my first family member.

“The reason why this is important, having spoken about how they are in a church in Gaza City and how they didn’t I am afraid die of a bomb, instead they died perhaps for lack of food, perhaps for dehydration.

"Their health deteriorated in the last week and they couldn’t get to the hospital they needed.”

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.