Pro-Gaza Independents Defeat Labour Candidates In Blow For Keir Starmer
Five pro-Gaza independent candidates have been elected to parliament after Keir Starmer’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict came back to haunt Keir Starmer.
Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth was the biggest casualty of the night for the party as he lost his Leicester South seat to Shockat Adam.
Former shadow minister Khalid Mahmood was also defeated in Birmingham Perry Barr, where Ayoub Khan overturned his 15,317 majority.
In Blackburn, Adnan Hussain beat Labour’s Kate Hollern by just over 100 votes, while Iqbal Hussain Mohamed beat Heather Iqbal in Dewsbury and Batley.
The most significant result came in Islington North, where former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn beat his old party to retain the seat he has represented since 1983.
Meanwhile, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting narrowly saw off the challenge of pro-Gaza candidate Leanne Mohamad to retain his Ilford North seat by just 500 votes.
And former Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips narrowly held off the challenge of the pro-Gaza Workers Party in Birmingham Yardley to win by 693 votes.
Phillips said it had been “the worst election I have ever stood in” and at one point in her acceptance speech asked that pro-Palestine protesters heckling her be thrown out.
Really ugly scenes during @jessphillips‘ acceptance speech. Absolutely appalling; men shouting down a woman when she’s legitimately won an election is disgraceful and a bad look for our democracy. pic.twitter.com/2aO7TbPqRG
— Ferhanasṭīn ???? (find them @ferhankhan.bsky.social) (@QueerhanKhan) July 5, 2024
The results mean there will be more pro-Gaza independents in the new parliament than Reform UK MPs.
Their election took some of the gloss off Starmer’s landslide victory, and demonstrate how the new prime minister’s strong support for Israel is still a major problem for his party among Muslim voters.