Rushanara Ali MP statement on the anniversary of Bangladesh’s Victory Day 2024.

The people of Bangladesh deserve accountability and a peaceful pathway to an inclusive democratic future.

The last two weeks in Bangladesh have seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life.

I know there has been a lot of discussion about child poverty over the last week. I want to assure everyone that addressing child poverty is a central cause for this Labour government. Four million children live in poverty, a situation that is simply unacceptable. The status quo is intolerable. These numbers must come down rapidly.

The Bangladesh government has imposed a curfew across the country and there has been widespread violence resulting in deaths.

I am devastated to hear of the extreme flooding in northeastern Bangladesh that has left over two million people stranded. The monsoon rain has damaged homes, schools, community health clinics, and farmland. 

Rushanara Ali MP said:

“I condemn the horrifying strikes in Rafah which have killed and injured so many people. The Labour Party has opposed an Israeli offensive in Rafah for months. Israel must comply with the International Court of Justice orders. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire to end this war, get all hostages out and get humanitarian aid into Gaza to bring an end to this on-going humanitarian catastrophe.”

On the 4th of May 2024, we remembered the brutal racist murder of Altab Ali. In his memory, we must continue to unite against those who seek to spread hate and division.

It cannot be repeated often enough that the Horizon scandal remains one of the greatest miscarriages of justice our nation has experienced. It is a scandal characterised by abuse of power, the mistreatment of innocent people and the wholesale failure of the entire system. It is human failure on a grand scale—a failure to listen, and a failure to learn.