UK Labour Party suspends candidate after comments alleging Israel let 7 October attack happen

The UK Labour Party has suspended its candidate for an upcoming by-election just weeks ahead of the vote after comments he made claiming Israel allowed the 7 October attacks to happen.

Azhar Ali was selected as the party's candidate to replace Tony Lloyd MP, who died last month.

Last week, recordings appeared in British media in which Ali argued that Israel had been warned a day before 7 October that an attack was planned by Hamas.

Ali said Israel "deliberately took the security off" so they would have the opportunity to "do whatever they bloody want".

The 7 October attack killed 1,140 people, almost 700 of whom were civilians, and saw around 240 people taken captive to Gaza.

Read more: UK Labour Party suspends candidate after comments alleging Israel let 7 October attack happen