Labour has misplaced three seats to pro-Gaza impartial candidates and been run shut by a number of others, because the impression of the Center East disaster dented an in any other case jubilant night time for Keir Starmer’s get together.
Jonathan Ashworth, the get together’s shadow Cupboard Workplace minister, was one of many highest-profile political casualties of the surge in assist for pro-Palestinian candidates in city areas with excessive Muslim populations.
Ashworth misplaced his Leicester South seat to the impartial Shockat Adam, who declared: “This is for Gaza,” after profitable by slightly below 1,000 votes.
In Blackburn, the constituency as soon as held by the previous residence secretary Jack Straw, Labour’s Kate Hollern misplaced by below 200 votes to the impartial Adnan Hussain. And in Dewsbury and Batley, Heather Iqbal, a former adviser to the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, misplaced by practically 7,000 votes to Iqbal Mohamed.
In a number of different seats, high-profile Labour MPs have been additionally run shut by impartial candidates, together with in Ilford, the place the shadow well being secretary, Wes Streeting, received by solely 528 votes greater than his closest rival, Leanne Mohamad.
In Birmingham Hodge Hill, the previous cupboard minister Liam Byrne received by simply over 1,500 votes over James Giles, the candidate for George Galloway’s Employees get together of Britain.
Rushanara Ali additionally received by simply over 1,500 votes in Bethnal Inexperienced and Bow, the place many within the Bangladeshi neighborhood have been additionally angered by the Labour chief, Keir Starmer, speaking about deporting Bangladeshi individuals whose asylum claims had been refused.
Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary, received in Birmingham Ladywood, one other space with a excessive proportion of Muslim voters, beating the impartial Akhmed Yakoob by about 3,500 votes.
However in an indication that the good points by pro-Palestinian candidates weren’t uniform, George Galloway misplaced his Rochdale seat to the Labour candidate Paul Waugh. Galloway received the seat at a byelection earlier this 12 months after a controversial marketing campaign throughout which Labour withdrew its assist from its candidate Azhar Ali over feedback he made about Israel.
Labour officers had warned all through the marketing campaign that a lot of their candidates have been below strain from pro-Palestinian candidates throughout the nation. Social gathering strategists had anticipated most voters who abandoned them over the problem on the native elections to return on the basic election, however appeared to have overestimated what number of would achieve this.
Starmer got here in for heavy criticism from many campaigners for feedback early within the battle wherein he stated Israel had the fitting to withhold energy and water from civilians in Gaza. That anger was compounded when the get together refused to again a Scottish Nationwide get together movement calling for a right away ceasefire within the area – despite the fact that Labour handed its personal related movement quickly afterwards.
In some seats the competition turned bitter, with Labour canvassers saying they have been being harassed by their opponents.
In Ali’s seat, Labour campaigners have been adopted down the road whereas handing out leaflets, whereas in Birmingham get together supporters needed to name the police twice throughout the remaining weekend of campaigning.
