The left-liberal party has already lost parts of its Muslim voter base because of its pro-Israel stance during the ongoing invasion of Gaza.
Only 60 percent of Muslim voters who voted for Labour in 2019 say they are willing to do the same in the next election.
The Guardian reports that a senior Labour Party official believes it has a lot of work to do if it wants to remain the first choice for the country’s large Muslim population.
Survation carried out a survey of 682 interviews with Muslims on behalf of the Labour Muslim Network. It shows that it is precisely the party leadership’s handling of the war between Israel and Gaza that has made many Muslims negative and unwilling to support Labour in the upcoming election, voting instead for the Green Party or the Liberal Democrats, for example.
Voter confidence in the party’s pro-Israel leader, Keir Starmer, has also fallen – especially in constituencies with a large Muslim electorate, such as Blackburn, Manchester and Preston.
"I LOST MY FAMILY IN GAZA!" A Palestinian who lost his mother, brother & nieces to Israel's bombing in Gaza confronts Angela Raynor & the Labour Party at a Stockport fundraiser.
How can the Labour Party & any party not call for a ceasefire when Israel's genocide has killed 25000… pic.twitter.com/LvEbVIyw5x— MANPalestine Action (@ManPalestine) January 25, 2024
There are also concerns that Tory David Cameron could attract large numbers of Muslims after he called for a “sustainable ceasefire” last week and said the British government was considering recognizing a Palestinian state.
Muslim political influence
It should be added that only 29% of Muslims “identify” with Labour today – compared to 72% in 2021. 85% of Muslims in the UK also believe that the political position of political parties on the Israel-Gaza war is important to them and will influence where they vote.
The interviews were conducted by telephone.
In 2021, there were just under 3.9 million people in England and Wales classified as Muslim – or around 6.5% of the population, with Pakistanis being the single largest Muslim group. The capital city of London has had a Pakistani and Muslim mayor in Sadiq Khan (Labour) since 2016, and a large number of avowed Muslims also sit in the British Parliament.
Since the start of the bombing of Gaza, there have also been widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the UK – sometimes with up to around 100 000 participants.
