LONDON – Labour has lost several of its once-reliable strongholds to independent candidates campaigning on pro-Gaza platforms.
Despite the party’s overall landslide victory, it suffered significant losses in constituencies with substantial Muslim populations.
One of the most notable defeats came as shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth lost his Leicester South seat.
Ashworth, who had maintained a robust majority of over 22,000 votes, was unseated by Shockat Adam, an independent candidate.
Adam declared, “This is for Gaza,” after winning by a margin of 979 votes. The constituency, with a Muslim population constituting around 30% of the electorate, had been under Ashworth’s representation for 13 years.
In Ilford North, another high-profile Labour figure and shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, saw his majority dramatically reduced. Streeting’s previous majority of more than 9,000 votes dwindled to a narrow 528-vote lead.
The trend continued across other constituencies with significant Muslim populations.
Labour’s vote share dropped by an average of 11 points in areas where over 10% of the population identifies as Muslim.
The party lost five such seats, four to independent candidates and one to the Conservatives.
In Leicester East, the Conservatives capitalized on the fragmentation of the vote caused by independent candidates.
Claudia Webbe, a former Labour MP expelled from the party after being charged and convicted of harassment, attracted several thousand votes with her pro-Palestinian stance.
Her candidacy siphoned off enough votes to allow the Conservatives to capture the seat with a 4,426-vote lead, a margin smaller than the total votes received by Webbe. -AA
