Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has heralded a “sunlight of hope” in Britain as the Labour Party achieved a landslide victory, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Despite this overall success, Labour’s traditional vote share has seen a significant decline in constituencies with large Muslim populations. This drop is attributed to Starmer’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza, which alienated many Muslim voters.
The British-Muslim electorate, numbering around four million, plays a critical role in about 100 constituencies, including key swing seats. This election saw a record number of around 300 Muslim prospective parliamentary candidates, predominantly of Pakistani origin, standing across the country. The dynamics in traditional Labour safe seats shifted dramatically this time, with many Muslim voters expressing their dissatisfaction with Labour’s stance on Gaza.
In Birmingham Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, a high-profile British-Pakistani politician and Oxford graduate, saw her majority drastically reduced. Mahmood, first elected on the Labour ticket in 2010, won with 15,558 votes against independent candidate Akhmed Yaqoob, who secured 12,137 votes on a pro-Gaza platform. Mahmood’s previous majority was 28,000 votes, highlighting the significant impact of the Gaza issue on her support base.
In Birmingham Perry Barr, independent candidate Barrister Ayoub Khan defeated Khalid Mahmood, the senior-most British Pakistani parliamentarian who had been winning since 2001. Khan received 13,303 votes, narrowly beating Mahmood, who garnered 12,796 votes. Khan, a local councillor for several years, resigned from the Liberal Democrats a few months ago to run as an independent.
Birmingham Hall Green & Moseley saw Tahir Ali hold the seat for Labour with 12,798 votes, but with a significantly reduced majority. Ali faced strong competition from independents Barrister Mohammad Hafeez, who received 6,159 votes, and Shakeel Afsar, who got 7,142 votes. Both independents campaigned on a pro-Palestine platform, splitting the vote and allowing Ali to retain his seat.
In Bradford West, Naz Shah narrowly won with 11,724 votes, just 707 votes ahead of independent candidate Muhammed Ali Islam, who secured 11,017 votes. Shah, a prominent Muslim and Pakistan-origin parliamentarian since 2015, faced significant challenges from Ali Islam and Akeel Hussain, both independents running on pro-Gaza platforms.
Imran Hussain in Bradford East managed to retain his seat with 14,098 votes, but his majority was sharply reduced from previous elections. Hussain’s main opponent, Talat Sajawal, an independent running on a pro-Gaza platform, received 7,909 votes. Sajawal, a former Labour councillor, resigned over the Gaza issue and challenged Hussain.
Yasmin Qureshi of Labour, first elected in 2010, retained her Bolton South and Walkden seat with a reduced majority of 15,093 votes. Her main challengers included Mohammed Afzal (Conservative), who received 4,170 votes, Jack Khan (Workers Party), and Reform UK, which received 8,530 votes.
Activist and campaigner Zarah Sultana retained Coventry South for Labour with 20,361 votes. Sultana, first elected in 2019 with a slim margin of 401 votes, saw a stronger performance this time, with the Tory runner-up receiving 10,160 votes.
In London-Tooting, Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, half-Pakistani and half-Polish, won for Labour with 29,209 votes. Allin-Khan, first elected in 2016 after Sadiq Khan became London Mayor, faced a Conservative opponent who received 9,722 votes.
Afzal Khan in Manchester-Rusholme retained his seat with 15,054 votes. Khan, first elected in 2017, saw his majority significantly reduced from the previous 30,000 votes. His Conservative opponent received 1,678 votes, while the Green Party candidate garnered 6,819 votes.
In Meriden and Solihull East, Saqib Bhatti (Conservative) retained his seat with 16,792 votes, while the Labour candidate Sarah Alan received 12,208 votes. Bhatti, first elected in 2019, saw his majority shrink from 23,000 votes.
Nusrat Ghani (Conservative) held Sussex Weald with 16,758 votes. Ghani, first elected in 2015, faced a strong challenge from the Reform UK candidate, who received 8,920 votes.
Labour’s Mohammad Yasin retained Bedford with 18,342 votes, having first won the seat in 2017 by a thin margin of 146 votes.
In Glasgow South West, Dr. Zubir Ahmed won for Labour with 15,552 votes, defeating the SNP candidate who received 12,267 votes.
Independent candidate Adnan Hussain unseated Labour’s Kate Hollern in Blackburn, a seat Labour had held for 69 years. Hussain won by a slim margin with 10,518 votes, while Hollern received 10,386 votes. Craig Murray, standing for George Galloway’s Workers Party on a pro-Gaza platform, came third with 7,105 votes.
Naushabah Khan won Gillingham and Rainham for Labour with 15,562 votes, defeating Rehman Chishti, who received 11,590 votes. Both candidates are of Pakistani origin.
In Dewsbury and Batley, independent candidate Iqbal Mohamed, focusing on a Gaza ceasefire, beat Labour’s Heather Iqbal with 15,641 votes to 8,707.
Jonathan Ashworth lost Leicester South to independent Shockat Adam, who campaigned for global peace and justice, winning due to his pro-Gaza stance.
