Labour’s deputy campaign coordinator, Ellie Reeves, has acknowledged that the party needs to regain the trust of Muslim voters following a recent backlash over its stance on Gaza. The party’s position on the Israel-Hamas war seems to have resulted in a significant reduction in support in Muslim areas during England’s local elections earlier this year. Of the 58 council wards analysed by the BBC, where over 20% of residents identify themselves as Muslim, Labour’s share of the vote fell by 21% from 2021. However, there is no clear evidence of its potential impact on a general election, and some suggest that the largest losses in support were in areas where the party had already gained significant support.
Reeves has stated that Labour will have a lot of work to do to recover support among Muslim communities prior to the general election. This includes improving communication and ensuring voters understand the party’s positioning. Labour initially called for humanitarian pauses in the fighting after the onset of the war and then a ceasefire, following months of disagreement on the matter. The party faced resignations from various councils and front benchers as a result of the situation.
Minority-led Independent candidates and the Greens, who took up Labour’s original call for a ceasefire, increased their vote shares in areas with significant Muslim populations. The Greens’ co-leader, Carla Denyer, claimed that the conflict was the “final straw” for some Labour voters, but policy switches in other areas had already left many disappointed. Denyer affirmed that she had spoken to voters, and it was clear there was a community shift, hence the Greens’ council win in Newcastle.
Labour lost council seats in Blackburn with Darwen to Independent candidates who left the party over their Gaza position. Labour also faced competition from pro-Palestinian independents in Bradford, where Gaza was a hot topic. The conflict also appears to have played a part in Oldham where Labour lost overall control of the council, although the party leader there also blamed dissatisfaction with mainstream parties. In addition, George Galloway’s staunchly pro-Palestinian Workers Party of Britain won four seats, two in Rochdale, one in Calderdale, and one in Manchester, where they unseated Labour’s deputy leader of the council, Luthfur Rahman.
The Gaza conflict has claimed nearly 1,200 lives as Israel launched a military assault to destroy the Hamas group, leading to protests worldwide and an outpouring of grief. Close to 34,500 people have reportedly lost their lives in Gaza since the conflict’s beginning
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