Although the Labour Party’s stance on Gaza did not hinder its landslide victory in the U.K. general election, several candidates were defeated by independent challengers advocating for a pro-Palestine agenda.
Labour leader Keir Starmer faced chants of “Free Palestine” both at his polling station in the Holborn and St. Pancras constituency and during his election count, where he was declared the winner of his seat.
Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth was unseated by an independent in Leicester South.
Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general who has made media appearances for the party during Labour’s election campaign, was defeated by independent candidate Shockat Adam.
Adam’s main policies include “standing for global peace and justice,” and he writes on his website: “I will champion Leicester’s values of global peace and justice, which have been neglected by the current government. Our constituency MP refused to vote for a ceasefire to end the bloodshed in Gaza, resulting in the needless deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.”
In Dewsbury and Batley, independent candidate Iqbal Mohamed, whose key focus areas include a cease-fire and peace agreement in Gaza, beat the Labour candidate Heather Iqbal.
In Blackburn, Labour’s Kate Hollern lost to Adnan Hussain, who said in his online statement to voters: “I promise to make your concerns against the injustice being inflicted against the people of Gaza be heard in the places where our so-called representatives failed.”
Meanwhile, Labour’s Jess Phillips narrowly managed to hold onto her seat, receiving 11,275 votes compared to the 10,582 won by Workers Party candidate Jody McIntyre.
Paul Waugh, representing Labour, won Rochdale from Workers Party leader George Galloway, just months after Galloway’s victory in a shock by-election dominated by the Gaza war.
Galloway, a former Labour and Respect member, swept to victory in Rochdale in February, gaining almost 40% of the vote.
Palestine has been a major theme of Galloway’s political career, during which he has voiced strong opposition to British and U.S. foreign policies, both in the Middle East and, more recently, in their support for Ukraine.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ran as an independent and successfully retained his long-held seat of Islington North in London, defeating his Labour rival by more than 7,000 votes.
Corbyn has long been a vocal advocate for Palestine, with his platform including demands for an end to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
Independent candidate Faiza Shaheen blamed Labour for enabling former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith to win in Chingford and Woodford Green, stating that the vote was split between her and her Labour challenger.
Shaheen was dropped by Labour as its candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green after liking a series of posts on the social media platform X that allegedly downplayed anti-Semitism allegations.
She wrote on X: “Our vote was a combination of those appalled by how I was treated, those who took issue with having an imposed candidate who didn’t know us, those who were never going to vote Labour after Starmer’s stance on Gaza, and those who have never voted before.
“Labour split the vote the moment they deselected me.”
Starmer’s position on the Gaza conflict has previously caused unease among some in his party, with the leader facing criticism for not calling for an immediate cease-fire sooner.
In its manifesto, the Labour Party committed to recognizing a Palestinian state.
The Labour Party faced setbacks in the local elections in some previously safe areas, particularly those with large Muslim populations.
