Sir Keir Starmer

• IT is indeed a sorry state of affairs that eight Labour MPs have seen fit to leave the party, (Keir Starmer ‘deeply saddened’ as seven Labour MPs quit party, February 21).

Sir Keir Starmer being “deeply saddened” and wishing the party to “remain united in the fight for our party’s values of internationalism and equality for all…” rings rather hollow without any acknowledgement of the anti-Semitism and bullying within the party that has precipitated the exodus.

There is no place for bullying, anti-Semitism or any other form of racism if “internationalism and equality for all” is claimed to be what the Labour Party stands for.

Tulip Siddiq MP, Georgia Gould and Sarah Hayward all balanced their responses by on the one hand wishing the party to remain united and on the other condemning the issues that have driven the MPs away.

Once again Jeremy Corbyn missed the opportunity to acknowledge these failings and, sadly, so did Sir Keir.

JANE HASSID
NW1