Professional-Gaza candidates squeeze Labour vote in Muslim areas

Labour has misplaced numerous former strongholds to unbiased candidates campaigning on pro-Gaza platforms.

In one of many greatest shocks of the night time, shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth misplaced his Leicester South seat, which had a majority of greater than 22,000.

The celebration’s vote is down on common by 11 factors in seats the place greater than 10% of the inhabitants determine as Muslim.

In Ilford North, shadow well being secretary Wes Streeting was amongst those that noticed his majority slashed – from greater than 9,000 to 528.

However Labour managed to win back Rochdale from George Galloway.

General it was a spectacular night time for Labour, with the celebration profitable a landslide victory.

Nonetheless, in areas with a excessive proportion of Muslim voters the celebration carried out badly.

Labour has misplaced 5 seats with massive Muslim populations – 4 to independents and one to the Conservatives.

In Leicester South, Shockat Adam declared “that is for Gaza” as he gained the seat by 979 votes.

The constituency, the place round 30% of the citizens are Muslim, has been held by Mr Ashworth for 13 years.

In close by Leicester East, the Conservatives benefitted from unbiased candidates choosing up a number of thousand votes, significantly the world’s former Labour MP Claudia Webbe.

Ms Webbe, who was expelled from the celebration after she was charged and later convicted of harassment, has been a vocal pro-Palestinian campaigner.

The Tories gained her former seat by 4,426 votes, lower than the quantity secured by Ms Webbe.

In Birmingham Perry Barr, Labour’s Khalid Mahmood misplaced to unbiased Ayoub Khan by 507 votes.

In the meantime, unbiased candidates who made the battle in Gaza central to their marketing campaign gained in Dewsbury and Batley, in addition to Blackburn, which each beforehand had wholesome Labour majorities.

Different senior Labour figures in areas with massive Muslim populations solely narrowly held their seats after seeing their majorities eaten away.

The newly elected Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, stated her celebration’s place on Gaza was a “stain on its document” and, whereas the celebration had “moved in the proper route”, it “took a very long time to get there”.

David Lammy – who might be set to turn out to be Labour’s international secretary – informed the BBC that his celebration would “work with companions to hunt Palestinian recognition” in energy.

In Ilford North, unbiased candidate Leanne Mohamad, who’s the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, was simply 528 votes behind Mr Streeting.

In Birmingham Ladywood, shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood held off a problem from unbiased candidate and lawyer Akhmed Yakoob, who has a big following on TikTok.

Nonetheless, her majority fell from greater than 32,000 to three,421.

Equally Jess Phillips, who quit the Labour frontbench to vote for a Gaza ceasefire in Parliament last year, additionally noticed her majority slashed from 13,141 to simply 693.

Jody McIntyre, who stood for Mr Galloway’s Staff Social gathering of Britain, got here second.

Ms Phillips confronted shouts and booing as she gave her speech after the outcome, describing the marketing campaign as “the worst election I’ve ever stood in” and claiming her activists had confronted intimidation.

In Bethnal Inexperienced and Stepney, in east London, shadow small enterprise minister Rushnara Ali, who was defending a majority of greater than 31,000, beat unbiased candidate Ajmal Masroor by simply 1,689 votes.

At his personal rely, Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer confronted heckles of “Free Palestine” and noticed his majority lower, with pro-Gaza unbiased Andrew Feinsten coming second with 7,312 votes.

In Islington North, his predecessor as Labour chief, Jeremy Corbyn, retained his seat as an unbiased, after being suspended from the party over his response to a report on antisemitism in Labour.

Mr Corbyn beat the Labour candidate by greater than 7,000 votes.

Nonetheless, in Rochdale, Labour’s Paul Waugh ousted Staff Social gathering chief Mr Galloway, simply months after he gained the seat in a by-election dominated by the Gaza battle.

Labour has confronted rising stress over its stance on the battle, since Israel launched a navy marketing campaign in response to Hamas’s unprecedented assault on 7 October.

In February Labour called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza however critics stated the celebration was too sluggish to achieve that place.

In its manifesto, Labour has dedicated to recognising a Palestinian state.

Final 12 months, Sir Keir was criticised after showing to say Israel had the “proper” to chop off water and power to Gaza.

He later clarified that he meant solely that the nation had a proper to self-defence.