Sectarian politics have officially taken hold in Britain, where a split on the left saw several independent candidates with pro-Palestinian platforms win against the Labour Party in Thursday’s general election.
The left-wing Labour party has traditionally relied on overwhelming support from Britain’s Muslim community, but this support appears to be fragmenting as new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer seeks to distance the party from the anti-Semitism scandals and accusations of backing radical Islamists that dogged his socialist predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
be analysis According to the BBC, in constituencies where the Muslim population was at least 10%, Labour’s vote share fell by an average of 11%.
Such was the exodus of Muslims from the Labour Party that shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat in Leicester South to a pro-Palestinian independent, losing his majority of over 22,000 votes, and was defeated by independent Shoukat Adam, who declared when he won “This is for Gaza”, by 979 votes.
Before his defeat, Ashworth was expected to become a key minister in Starmer’s next government and was a vocal advocate of the benefits of multiculturalism, but the large Muslim population of his former constituency – around 30% of the electorate – appears to have played a key role in his downfall.
‘Allah is Great’ Green MP says Hamas has right to ‘fight back’ after October 7 terror attacks https://t.co/t4rTbhRV6O
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 6, 2024
Labour lost in Islington North and other constituencies to five independent candidates who made Gaza a central theme of their campaigns, and to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was expelled from the party for failing to tackle anti-Semitism within it while in office.
Pro-Palestine candidates also won seats in Birmingham Perry Barr, Dewsbury and Batley and Blackburn, all former Labour strongholds.
One of Labour’s successes was defeating left-wing populist George Galloway in Rochdale, a veteran campaigner who fell short in a by-election earlier this year after running on a pro-Gaza platform.
But the Gaza vote also eroded the once-healthy majority of Labour leaders, including shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, whose majority in Ilford North fell from 9,000 at the last general election to just 528 on Thursday, but narrowly defeated independent Leanne Mohammad.
So was Jess Phillips, who left Starmer’s frontbench last year to vote for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Despite being a vocal supporter of Gaza, Phillips’s vote total fell from 13,141 to 693, beating Galloway’s openly pro-Hamas candidate, Jodi McIntyre of the British Labour Party.
BREAKING: Jess Phillips’ acceptance speech interrupted by pro-Palestinian slogans pic.twitter.com/VVgLELUBlm
— Jack Carson (@_jack_carson) July 5, 2024
Mr Phillips was booed and shouted at by pro-Palestine activists during his victory speech as he complained that staff had faced intimidation tactics during the election campaign, describing it as the “worst election ever”. New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also subjected to chants of “Free Palestine” as he declared victory.
Divisions within the coalition will be a major obstacle to Starmer’s ability to govern while appeasing the various constituencies of his Labour party – he has already been forced to back down from his initial opposition to a ceasefire and include support for a Palestinian state in the Labour manifesto.
But the divisions may not be limited to Gaza, with Muslim parents previously demonstrating in areas such as Birmingham against the introduction of LGBTQ+ ideas in schools, potentially opening up new rifts between metropolitan Labour supporters and socially conservative Muslim voters.
Labour’s rise is also likely to see Islamic activists play a central role, with groups such as Muslim Boat publishing a list of demands for the party ahead of the election.
The group warned in May: “This election marks a shift for Muslims. No more apolitical indifference. We will no longer allow ourselves to be taken for granted. We are a united force four million strong acting in unison.”
Farage warns Muslim voters will back pro-Gaza candidate: ‘sectarian politics are here to stay’https://t.co/JaQv4oPRcD
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 5, 2024
