UK Labour Party: Fears to Lose Muslim Voters
Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed
The Labour Party in the UK has started surveying British Muslim voters amid growing concern among senior officials about the damage done to one of its strongest bases of support by the party’s stance on Gaza.
Labour sources told The Guardian newspaper that the party had been conducting polls and organizing focus groups across the UK, with the General Election thought to be only months away.
One senior Labour MP told the paper: “Muslims are not only predominantly Labour supporters but they are also geographically important. There are many of them in a range of key target seats in both the south and the northwest, and we need to pay attention to that.”
A frontbencher said: “We know we’ve lost the Muslim vote, and at the very least their trust.
“The Muslim community is no longer a safe voter base for us because of how we initially responded to the war. So we’re just focused on damage control; we all know it.”
MPs concerned about the issue have formed new groups to influence Labour leader Keir Starmer.
The crisis within the party escalated following Starmer’s interview in October in which he said Israel had the right to withhold power and water from Gaza, a stance he later drew back from.
His refusal to support a ceasefire led to further unrest, with 56 Labour MPs breaking party ranks to vote for a Scottish National Party ceasefire motion, resulting in the resignation of eight shadow ministers.
Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East has become a central organizing hub. Another is a WhatsApp group of about 30 MPs who share not only policy thoughts but also security advice, given the threats made to some Labour MPs, especially in areas with many Muslim voters.
