How Did ‘Muslim Vote’ Manage to Bring Supporters of Palestine to British Parliament?

The results of the British general elections revealed that The Muslim Vote (TMV) campaign successfully secured victories for several candidates who support Palestine and oppose the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.

Not only did many independent candidates backed by the Muslim Vote campaign win, but candidates who supported the Israeli Occupation were also defeated.

The Muslim Vote campaign influenced the winning Labour Party's direction, as Muslims had previously threatened not to vote for them if they didn't support a ceasefire in Gaza.

This was reflected in the first statement by the new Labour Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, who confirmed his support for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza.

Four Muslim MPs 

The number of independent MPs who won and made Gaza the focal point of their campaign was seven, including four Muslims.

The winning MPs backed by the Muslim Vote campaign are Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North; Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South; Iqbal Mohamed, MP for Dewsbury and Batley; Adnan Hussain, MP for Blackburn; Ayoub Khan, MP for Birmingham Perry; and Abtisam Mohamed.

Among these seven MPs, five ran as independents after they punished the Labour Party, which they previously ran for.

They succeeded in defeating the winning candidates of the Labour Party and the Prime Minister as independent candidates.

George Galloway, known for his anti-war views and support for the Palestinian cause, would have joined them. He had just won a parliamentary seat four months ago and ran again but narrowly lost to the Labour candidate.

In March 2024, the solidarity campaign with Palestine led by Galloway and the Muslim Vote helped secure Muslim votes in the town, marking the seventh time a representative from the leftist Labour Party won a parliamentary seat.

Galloway criticized the Labour Party for supporting the Israeli Occupation in the Gaza war during his March 2024 election campaign.

However, he lost this time to Labour candidate Paul Waugh, a former political journalist for The Independent and Evening Standard who grew up in the town.

Galloway (69) was a former Labour MP before being expelled from the party in 2003 for criticizing then-Prime Minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war.

However, Galloway's defeat was compensated by the victory of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran supporter of Palestine who led the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020.

Corbyn won his seat in the House of Commons after a heated contest against the Labour candidate, with a significant margin of votes, in a constituency where the war on Gaza was the main issue, according to Sky News on July 5, 2024.

The former Labour leader secured over 24,000 votes, compared to Labour candidate Praful Nargund, who received over 16,000 votes.

Current Labour leader Keir Starmer had sought to woo the Jewish lobby in the UK and ordered an internal investigation to uncover what he claimed was the "spread of anti-Semitism" during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the party, preventing Corbyn from being a Labour candidate, leading him to run as an independent and win.

A big surprise in the British elections was the first-time victory of independent candidate Adnan Hussain over Labour candidate Kate Hollern in Blackburn, amid chants of Freedom for Palestine celebrating his win.

This political novice, as described by Middle East Eye on July 5, 2024, secured 10,518 votes, a narrow margin of 132 votes over Hollern's 10,386 votes, ending Labour's 69-year dominance in this constituency.

Hussain, a 34-year-old lawyer, received support from a group of former Labour council members who resigned from the party due to its Gaza policy.

Additionally, pro-Palestinian independent candidate Ayoub Khan achieved a surprising victory over Labour MP Khalid Mahmood in the UK general elections, winning the Birmingham Perry Barr seat by a narrow margin of 507 votes.

Ayoub Khan stated that he ran as an independent candidate after being excluded from the Liberal Democrats' list for refusing to stay silent on the situation in Gaza and for his strong stance against the Israeli war.

Pro-Palestinian candidate Iqbal Hussain Mohamed was also elected to Parliament by a landslide in the Dewsbury and Batley constituency in West Yorkshire, decisively defeating Labour candidate Heather Iqbal.

Iqbal, an engineer and IT consultant, resigned from the Labour Party due to leader Keir Starmer's support for the Israeli war on Gaza.

Another successful independent candidate was Shockat Adam, one of five candidates who openly supported Gaza and won in the elections. Adam secured a significant victory over Labour candidate Jonathan Ashworth, who had been expected to serve in Keir Starmer's government.

Holding up a Palestinian keffiyeh at the end of his victory speech in Leicester South, Adam declared that this is for the people of Gaza.

Abtisam Mohamed also won as a Labour candidate, supporting Palestinian rights and opposing the aggression on Gaza.

She became the first woman of Yemeni descent to enter the British Parliament, representing the Sheffield Central constituency.

Green Party leader Carla Denyer, supported by the Muslim Vote and Palestine Solidarity campaigns, called for an end to the aggression, a ban on arms sales to “Israel,” and the prosecution of Zionist war criminals.

Commenting on the results, Anas Altikriti, a founding member of the Arab and Muslim Vote campaigns, said they secured seven seats in Parliament and will continue their mission to support their causes.

First Test

Despite Labour's landslide victory in the UK general elections, its stance on Gaza appears to have cost it votes, according to CNN on July 5, 2024.

Labour lost several seats after a strong showing from pro-Palestinian independent candidates, indicating anger towards party leader Keir Starmer for his pro-Israel stance.

With seven Gaza supporters winning, including five independents, Labour suffered defeats against candidates who focused their campaigns on supporting Palestine and criticized Starmer for his pro-Israel stance, described as Zionist and married to a Jewish woman.

These defeats demonstrated that Labour's stance on the Gaza war affected many voters and caused internal divisions.

Labour's vote count dropped by an average of 10 points in areas where Muslims make up more than 10% of the population, according to Reuters on July 5, 2024.

The Muslim Vote campaign also supported Labour candidates who defied their party and voted for a ceasefire.

On May 31, 2024, Labour's list indicated that 16 seats with large Muslim populations, controlled by Labour, were battle zones.

These seats, held by Labour MPs with large majorities, faced challenges from independent candidates supported by the Muslim Vote.

Many voters across the UK expressed dissatisfaction with Labour for its early stance on the Gaza war and its failure to call for a comprehensive ceasefire.

Although the party later changed its stance, many said they felt obliged to vote for candidates and parties that supported a permanent ceasefire.

Earlier reports highlighted widespread resignations from Labour in protest of its stance on the Gaza war and the discrimination faced by Muslim members.

Approximately nine months before the UK parliamentary elections, all indicators suggested that British Muslims and neutral voters would traditionally vote for Labour.

Conversely, they would punish the Conservative Party for various reasons, including its support for the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

However, Labour leader Keir Starmer angered Muslims by showing blatant support for Gaza's annihilation.

When asked by LBC on October 11, 2023, if he thought “Israel” was right to cut off water and electricity to Gaza, he replied yes it has that right, sparking intense criticism for endorsing “genocide.”

Early Support

Labour leader Keir Starmer’s early support for Israeli aggression on Gaza, despite the traditional Muslim backing for Labour, led British Muslims to form the Muslim Vote (TMV) campaign in December 2023.

The campaign aimed to direct British Muslim votes to candidates supporting Palestinians and against those who had opposed the Gaza ceasefire, preventing them from returning to Parliament.

The campaign's slogan was Make the Muslim Vote Count, emphasizing the importance of Islamic issues.

The campaign declared that British Muslims in the UK are a strong and united force of 4 million working in harmony, and they will lay the foundations for the political future of the Muslim community.

Its goal was to focus on seats where Muslim votes could influence the results.

The campaign sought to mobilize nearly 4 million Muslims in the UK, approximately 6% of voters.

There are 20 constituencies in the UK with over 30% Muslim voters out of 650 constituencies in Britain.

All these constituencies with a significant Muslim presence supported Labour MPs in 2019, in seven of these constituencies, where Muslims make up over 40% of the voters.

TMV identified 93 other constituencies where Muslims make up over 10% of the voters to support pro-Palestinian candidates.

The campaign was endorsed by the Muslim Association of Britain, the Muslim Council of Scotland, the Muslim Council of Wales, the Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), and other Islamic organizations.

Far-right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage attacked what he called sectarian politics, claiming they threatened Britain, referring to TMV's mobilization of Muslim voters, though the campaign strongly denied being sectarian.

TMV stated it supports politicians (Muslim or non-Muslim) who support health and public services and oppose the British government's role in the ongoing genocide and apartheid in Gaza.

British newspapers reported that TMV coordinator and spokesperson Abubakar Nanabawa said the program aims to encourage Islamic political participation and value the voting power of local Muslim communities.

Nanabawa said that Labour has taken the Muslim vote for granted for too long and forgotten they need to earn it and that the Muslim community has the right to mobilize behind candidates.

The campaign calls for a Gaza ceasefire, recognition of Palestine, enhancing laws preventing British trade with Israeli settlements, and supporting sanctions on companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Surprises and Implications

The election of five independent pro-Gaza candidates marks a significant victory for TMV, which strongly supported them, as well as other non-Muslim pro-Palestinian candidates.

This victory, the first test of unifying the Muslim voice, and perhaps the first British election to determine candidates for most constituencies, saw a large and unexpected number of Gaza-supporting MPs elected, outnumbering the far-right Reform UK's MPs, led by Nigel Farage, who won only four seats.

The success of these five independent pro-Gaza candidates over Labour candidates is expected to pressure Labour under Keir Starmer to change its and Britain's policy on the Israeli war on Gaza.

A Bloomberg report on July 6, 2024, confirmed that Labour lost some seats shockingly, being traditional Labour strongholds, mainly due to their support for Gaza.

Among those who lost was shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth, who lost his Leicester South seat to independent pro-Gaza candidate Iqbal Hussain.

According to Bloomberg, Starmer's stance on the Gaza war was the main issue for British Muslims, directly causing Labour to lose seats in constituencies with a high percentage of Muslim voters.

On July 5, 2024, The Guardian emphasized that Labour cannot ignore the loss of Gaza supporters' votes.

It urged the party to recognize its loss of support from the Red Wall (working class and trade unions) and warned that Labour must start today to repair relations with Gaza supporters.

Also, on July 5, 2024, Time magazine described Labour's loss in some constituencies to pro-Gaza supporters as a punishment vote for both the Conservatives and Labour.

It stated that the impact of Gaza on these elections, where the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak suffered a historic defeat not seen since World War II, cannot be dismissed, with punishment voting being a major feature of this election.

Time explained that while the Gaza war wasn't the primary issue, it was crucial in several constituencies where independent candidates triumphed over Labour candidates.

Labour angered Muslims by dropping parliamentary candidate Faiza Shaheen and revoking her membership for liking posts critical of “Israel” and its supporters during the first week of the campaign.

Labour also withdrew support for its candidate Azhar Ali, claiming he made statements about the Israeli war on Gaza, for which he later apologized.

British estimates indicate that Muslim support for Labour dropped from 75% in 2001 to 38% in 2004, following the Iraq War led by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair.

This support increased to 64% by 2015, peaking at over 80% during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership between 2015 and 2020.

However, the relationship between Muslims and Labour's current leader, Keir Starmer, has changed significantly since his election in 2020.

Especially since Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, which Starmer criticized, endorsing Israeli siege on Gaza.

On May 27, Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner was filmed telling Muslim voters in her constituency that Labour supports the International Criminal Court (ICC) in prosecuting Israeli leaders.

Rayner promised that a Labour government would recognize the State of Palestine but warned that this would have a "limited" effect on Gaza's situation.

Despite this, Starmer refused to commit to supporting the ICC if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli war leaders.