Anger over Labour leader's Bangladesh remarks as councillor quits, Labour MP candidates issue statements

Sir Keir Starmer is facing backlash over comments about Bangladeshi migrants made during a general election event. 

Some Labour candidates in constituencies with large Muslim populations have distanced themselves from his remarks, and Sabina Akhtar, the deputy leader of Tower Hamlets Labour, resigned, reports Yahoo News. 

An edited video clip of Starmer's comments has been circulating on messaging apps, which the Labour Party has branded as "misinformation." 

The Labour leader said during a live-streamed interview with The Sun that people from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed because they are not being processed. This was in response to questions about his criticism of the Conservative's Rwanda migrant deportation scheme.

Starmer stated that under the current government, the number of people being returned has dropped by 44 percent. He promised that in the first few days of his government, he would reinstate staff in the returns unit and ensure planes are taking off, though not to Rwanda, but to the countries from which migrants come. 

He used Bangladeshi migrants as an example but did not suggest that settled or legally present individuals would be returned.

The video has been shared by those encouraging support for independent candidates in the July 4 election. Tower Hamlets councillor Sabina Akhtar resigned, expressing that Starmer's comments insulted her Bangladeshi identity. Other candidates, including Rushanara Ali and Apsana Begum, have also voiced their concerns.

The Labour Party emphasised that Starmer supports the Bangladeshi community and that the video was edited to misrepresent his statements.

 They clarified that Starmer referred to the return of individuals without legal rights to stay in the UK, citing an existing bilateral agreement with Bangladesh.