Normally they are about who should be in charge of exporting the bins, instead the main topic was the war in Gaza. Even so could be described the English municipal elections that have just taken place. These were particularly closely watched this year. Parliamentary elections must take place no later than January next year, but it is possible that they will take place even earlier. This is perhaps the last opportunity to test the mood of the population before the peak of the election cycle. In short, it was not a good day for the ruling Conservative Party. We will discuss this further on the Echo website. But the second observation is that it was a very good day for independent Muslim candidates.
The British commentator Ed West once noted that the United Kingdom did not get rid of its former empire, it only imported it into itself. The result is a multicultural society with all the advantages and problems that this brings. One consequence is that Labor has decided to win the votes of newcomers. The Labor Party thus became the preferred party of Muslims. In the 2019 election, Labor won 80% of the Muslim vote. Of the twenty constituencies where Muslims make up more than 30% of the population, Labor won in all twenty. The left was once popular even among Indians, but according to surveys, they are gradually falling away from it. According to a November poll by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 41% identify with Labor, 31% with the Conservatives. One of the reasons may be the traditional animosity between Muslims and Hindus.
Now Labor is also threatened with an outflow of Muslim votes. While they now mostly won in the communal areas, their share of votes fell in Muslim areas. In the 58 constituencies analyzed by the BBC where Muslims made up more than one-fifth of the population, Labour’s share shrank by an average of 21%.
On the contrary, a number of Muslim candidates who ran as independents or for the English Greens succeeded. Labor thus lost its majority in Oldham, which is part of Manchester. Independent candidates celebrated success in Blackburn, Burnley or Rochdale. Greens candidate Mothin Ali celebrated his victory in Leeds by shouting Allahu Akbar. “We will not be silenced. We will raise the voice of Gaza. We will raise the voice of Palestine,” he added.
It is Gaza that is the main reason for the fall in support for Labor among Muslims. After the October 7 attack, Labor leader Keir Starmer took a cautious and balanced stance, much to the chagrin of his constituents and some of his fellow party members. Only in February did the party call for a general ceasefire. The Greens called for an immediate ceasefire just a week after October 7. This is also the reason for the sudden upsurge of environmentalism among Muslims. Perhaps they are also attracted by the fact that green is the color of Islam. The Labor Party of Great Britain also won four representatives. It is led by the controversial MP George Galloway, who won the Rochdale by-election in February 2024 thanks to his pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
Galloway also supported West Midlands mayoral candidate Akhmed Yakoob. This led to a heart-breaking finish, with Labour’s Richard Parker narrowly unseating the incumbent Tory mayor, Andy Street. Yakoob finished third with his program emphasizing the issue of Gaza. Before all the votes were counted and when things were looking bad for Parker, a Labor source told the BBC: “It’s the Middle East, not the West Midlands, that will propel Andy Street to the mayor’s post. The real villain is once again Hamas.”
It is difficult to say how this will affect the parliamentary elections. Parliamentary constituencies are much larger than municipal constituencies. The drop in votes in these areas can thus be lost and Labor will retain them. On the other hand, in the following elections, every mandate will be at stake. Labor will almost certainly get the most votes. The stake is whether they will have a parliamentary majority, which would make it much easier for them to govern.
At the same time, the idea that Muslims automatically vote for Labor has probably been broken. “Perhaps British Muslim voters should reflect and ask themselves why they have supported the Labor Party for so long and with such enthusiasm. Sure, the Conservatives have their share of anti-Muslim issues, and Labor can be seen as the more ‘fair’ and ‘tolerant’ party. But the modern Labor Party is dominated by cultural liberals. Few in this party defend family values, the sanctity of life and the positivity of faith in British civil society,” wrote Rakib Ehsan for The Spectator magazine. “It can be said that the trans-radicalism that has emerged in supposedly ‘sensible’ Labor politicians such as Wes Streeting is somewhat incompatible with traditional Abrahamic teachings,” he adds. Islam and modern socialism may not be natural allies, as one might think.
This is a turning point. Muslims in Britain are beginning to grow as an independent political force. Last fall they marched in greater London. In February, the House of Commons changed its rules of procedure due to threats over Gaza. And the political scene is beginning to take into account that Muslim interests are closer to the Middle East than to Britain.
