THE gap between the foreign policy stance of Keir Starmer’s Establishment Labour Party and the increasingly settled view of a growing majority of British people that a ceasefire in Palestine is the most urgent priority was underlined over the weekend by a widespread pattern of local protests in communities up and down the country.

The protests have acquired a rhythm — with national protests alternating with regional and local demonstrations — that is firmly rooting a new realism in the minds of millions.

People have come to this common position from different standpoints. The most compelling and the most widely shared is simple human solidarity with the victims of this conflict.