In a surprising turn of events, the Labour Party has announced that it has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali, the candidate in the upcoming Rochdale by-election, following his comments on Israel. According to the BBC, Ali has been suspended from the party pending an investigation.

Earlier on Monday, Labour had initially defended its decision to stand by Ali as a candidate. However, the party has now revealed that new information regarding further comments made by Ali has come to light, leading to the decision to withdraw support.

Despite the withdrawal of support, it is too late for the party to replace Ali as its candidate for the by-election. This means that Ali will remain on the ballot as the Labour candidate for Rochdale. However, if he is elected, he will either sit as an independent MP or potentially join another party.

Moreover, it is highly unlikely that Ali will be selected by Labour to fight in the forthcoming general election. The controversy surrounding his alleged comments has caused significant damage to his political prospects.

The specific comments made by Ali relate to him allegedly telling a Labour party meeting that Israel had "allowed" the deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on October 7. After the comments surfaced, Ali publicly apologized to Jewish leaders for his "inexcusable comments."

Labour's National Campaign Coordinator, Pat McFadden, confirmed that Ali was suspended from the party after "more comments" came to light. The content of these additional remarks remains unclear, but it is understood that they were made at the same meeting.

McFadden emphasized that this decision signifies Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer's commitment to rooting out antisemitism from the party. The move to withdraw support after nominations have closed is an unusual occurrence in the political landscape.

Labour has faced immense pressure following the emergence of Ali's comments, facing widespread condemnation from party members and political opponents alike. Withdrawing support for Ali will undoubtedly be seen as a blow to the party. Frontbenchers Lisa Nandy and Anneliese Dodds were actively campaigning for Ali in Rochdale over the weekend, and Shadow Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds had been defending Labour's decision on Monday morning.

Responding to the withdrawal of support, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Labour of yielding to "enormous media pressure" rather than taking a principled stance.

As the by-election approaches, the focus now shifts to the impact these recent developments will have on both the Labour Party and the wider political landscape in Rochdale.