‘This is for Gaza’: What the UK election means for Anthony Albanese

London: With seven hours before the polls closed, Jeremy Corbyn – an MP with 41 years in parliament who led UK Labour to two elections – took to social media to make a final plea to voters.

“Today, Palestine is on the ballot,” wrote Corbyn, a veteran left-winger and ardent pro-Palestinian activist who was expelled from his party over an antisemitism scandal, on Thursday.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks to pro-Palestine students and protesters in London in June.Credit: Getty Images

“If you re-elect me as an independent MP in Islington North, I promise to always stand up for the people of Gaza, and for the only path to a just and lasting peace: an end to the occupation of Palestine.”

It worked. The longtime MP was one of five independent candidates who won their seats across Britain by campaigning against Labour by demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution. Along with the election of four pro-Gaza Green candidates, they have rattled Labour organisers.

Despite being swept to victory with a massive majority, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour suffered significant election setbacks in areas with large Muslim populations, amid discontent over the party’s position on the war in Gaza.

Labour leader Keir Starmer arrives during the count for the constituency of Holborn and St Pancras.Credit: Getty Images

The party, which has long counted on the backing of Muslim and other minority groups, had its vote fall on average by 10 points in seats where more than 10 per cent of the population identify as Muslim.

While Labour has said it wants the fighting in Gaza to stop, it has also backed Israel’s right to defend itself, angering some among the 3.9 million Muslims who make up 6.5 per cent of Britain’s population.

The result will likely serve as a warning to Australia’s Labor government amid its own internal crisis over WA senator Fatima Payman, who quit the party this week over her own stance on Gaza.

A Savanta poll last month found that 44 per cent of UK Muslim voters ranked the conflict as one of the top five issues and, of those, 86 per cent said they would consider backing an independent running on the issue.

Labour was aware of the risk, instructing volunteers and campaigners in some seats with more than 10 per cent Muslim populations to campaign locally instead of travelling to target seats. Meanwhile, “The Muslim Vote” campaign called on voters to pick pro-Palestine candidates running as independents or from smaller parties.

Labour’s shadow cabinet minister, Jonathan Ashworth, lost his Leicester South seat to an independent running on a pro-Palestine ticket by just 979 votes. The seat has a 35 per cent Muslim population.

Shockat Adam, the independent who stood against Ashworth, said his win was “an indication to those who have been in power for so long that you cannot forget the people that you serve”.

“This is for the people of Gaza,” he said, holding up a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf at the end of his acceptance speech on winning.

In Blackburn, Labour’s Kate Hollern lost by fewer than 200 votes to the independent Adnan Hussain.

Pro-Gaza independents also won in Blackburn, and Dewsbury & Batley, both of which have roughly 45 per cent Muslim populations, beating Labour into second.

New Health Secretary Wes Streeting and prominent Labour backbencher Jess Phillips both won their seats by a hair’s breadth against pro-Palestinian opponents. Streeting won with a majority of just 528, while Phillips won with a majority of 693.

Phillips, who was shouted at and heckled during her victory speech, including chants of “shame on you” and “free Palestine”, spoke of the intimidation her campaign faced and said the election has been “the worst” she has ever stood in.

Leicester South MP winner Independent candidate Shockat Adam holds up the Palestinian keffiyeh as he celebrates. “This is for Gaza.”

She told the BBC that Gaza was a “massive issue” in the constituency but said she was also caught in a “pincer” because of the increased vote for Reform UK.

Pro-Palestine candidates came second to Labour in at least seven seats, including Slough, Oldham West, Rochdale, Burnley, Walsall and Bloxwich, and Birmingham Hodge Hill.

Starmer had been criticised by many traditional Labour supporters for only gradually shifting the party’s position towards supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. His reluctance to change stance led to 10 frontbenchers quitting in November, including Phillips.

It is now a warning that Australian Labor ignores at its peril, as it faces fierce contests with the Greens, who are campaigning on the issue in inner-suburban Melbourne seats such as Wills and Batman. An alliance of Muslim candidates is also actively considering standing against Labor MPs in seats throughout western Sydney.

John McTernan, a former adviser to both former UK prime minister Tony Blair and Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, posted on X in the early hours: “Labour need to take the votes lost over Gaza as seriously as we took the loss of red wall [traditionally Labour seats in northern England lost to the Conservatives in 2019].”

Taj Ali, the co-editor of Tribune magazine and a historian of British South Asian political activism, said it was not just Muslim voters who cared about Gaza, and it’s not just Gaza that Muslim voters care about.

“One thing that was underestimated in this election was the power of TikTok and WhatsApp groups,” he said. “So many young people have been politicised and are making their voices heard.”

Ali also said it was “dog-whistle racism” to accuse British Muslims taking part in the electoral process of “sectarianism” for expressing their right to vote and stand for parliament.

After Labour faced significant council losses in Muslim areas in the local elections in May, Starmer said explicitly he was committed to recognising a Palestinian state as part of a peace process – however many on his left flank feel he should have gone further by withdrawing support for Israel and backing an end to arms sales.

Abubakr Nanabawa, co-ordinator for The Muslim Vote, said in areas where Muslim voters were presented with strong alternative candidates, the community rallied behind them.

“They sent a clear message to the Labour Party that their votes can no longer be taken for granted.”

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