Israel’s war on Gaza casts a shadow on British elections, stuns Labour

The Labour Party may have won a landslide in British elections but a number of its candidates lost in supposed strongholds to independents who campaigned on a pro-Palestinian platform amid Israel’s horrific war on Gaza.

The Labour’s vote share was slashed on an average by 11 points in constituencies where more than 10 per cent of the population is Muslim.

One of the biggest shocks came in the defeat of Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South. The winner was Shockat Adam, who declared “this is for Gaza” as he won the seat by 979 votes. Ashworth had held the seat for 13 years.

In Ilford North, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting saw his majority brutally cut from more than 9,000 to just 528.

Muslims undercut Labour

The Labour showing was poor in almost all seats with a huge number of Muslim voters. In five seats which it thus lost, four went to independents and one to the Conservatives, who were nationally ousted from power.

In Leicester East, the Conservatives benefitted from independent candidates picking up several thousand votes.

In Birmingham Perry Barr, Labour's Khalid Mahmood lost to independent Ayoub Khan by 507 votes.

Independent candidates who made the Gaza war central to their campaign won in Dewsbury, Batley and Blackburn. All these places previously had healthy Labour majorities.

Reduced majorities

Some senior Labour figures in areas with large Muslim populations retained their seats but after seeing their majorities come down crashing.

In Ilford North, Leanne Mohamad, an independent and a granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, finished only 528 votes behind the winner.

In Birmingham Ladywood, shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood saw her majority collapse from 32,000 to 3,421.

Starmer faces sloganeering

In Bethnal Green and Stepney, in east London, shadow small business minister Rushnara Ali, who was defending a majority of more than 31,000, beat independent candidate Ajmal Masroor by just 1,689 votes.

Labour leader and to-be Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced heckles of “Free Palestine”. He too won by a reduced majority. Pro-Gaza independent Andrew Feinsten finished second with 7,312 votes.

Gaza and Labour

But Labour’s Paul Waugh won back Rochdale from pro-Gaza George Galloway, just months after he won the seat in a by-election dominated by the Middle East conflict.

Labour has faced growing pressure over its stance on the conflict since Israel launched a military campaign in response to Hamas' unprecedented attack on October 7.

The Labour has committed itself to recognising a Palestinian state. But pro-Gaza activists feel this is just not enough.