ANGELA Rayner has claimed she would do “everything I possibly could” to stop the war in Gaza as she was asked if she believed “genocide” was being committed.

The deputy leader of the Labour Party previously abstained when given the chance to vote on the SNP’s Gaza ceasefire motion in November last year.

Despite Labour MPs being ordered to abstain on the amendment, 56 rebelled against Keir Starmer to vote in favour of the motion.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Rayner was asked whether she would abstain or vote for a ceasefire if another vote was held today.

“I mean the challenge that’s happening in Gaza. I’m a mother and a grandmother myself and you see the devastation in Gaza is absolutely horrific,” she said.

Pressed on whether or not she would vote for a ceasefire, Rayner added: “We’re very clear. We want to see a situation where Hamas gives the hostages, we still have over 130 hostages, people who were going about their daily business on October 7 slaughtered, murdered and taken from their families.

“Hostages need to be released and we need to see a sustainable ceasefire and we need to have that humanitarian aid getting into Gaza as quickly as possible. There isn’t enough aid getting into Gaza at the moment.”

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Rayner was then asked about the moment she was confronted by pro-Palestine campaigners at a Labour fundraising event.

“I understand that strong feeling. I would do everything I possibly could to stop what’s happening,” she said.

Pressed further on a ceasefire, she added: “Realistically, what we’re trying to do at the moment is bring about a ceasefire, bring about the release of those hostages and bring about a two-state solution for that area.

“I would give everything to make that happen. I’m a mother myself, I’ve been looking at what’s happening in that region for many decades, as a trade unionist, let alone as an MP.”

Asked why she would not actively vote for a ceasefire, Rayner said Labour were trying to “bring about the situation by diplomacy” and that a vote “was not going to make it happen”.

Asked further what she felt about the use of the word “genocide” to discuss what’s happening in Gaza, Rayner said: “I think the ICJ ruling is very serious and I think it puts the marker down. It was very clear that the humanitarian crisis we see unfolding in Gaza for the Palestinians is really serious.”

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Writing on Twitter/X, the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn commented: "Sounds like Angela is reading to vote for an immediate ceasefire, no?"

She was then questioned on if she thought there were “aspects of genocide” and replied: “I don’t know. The ICJ is the right place for that to be determined.

“It’s very clear from what we’re seeing, the reports we’re getting. There is nowhere near enough humanitarian aid getting into Palestine.

“We have got to make sure that aid gets to those people.”

Many social media users also took to Twitter/X to criticise Rayner with one describing her responses as a "non-answer" while another hit out at her for not being a "principled politician".

A third user commented: "Easy to say you'd do everything, harder to actually DO something. Abstaining is not leadership."

Many others continued to question her reasons for not voting for a ceasefire while another described her comments as "hypocrisy".