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The success of independent candidates in the UK election has sent a strong signal to prime minister Keir Starmer that he should take seriously the sense of marginalisation and frustration among Muslim voters.
His government and party will need to repair relations with Muslim communities across the UK if he wants this to be a blip rather than a long-term trend.
Several independent candidates beat Labour MPs by running on tickets criticising Labour for failing to take strong enough action on Gaza. Some took seats from Labour, others came close. Their successes reflect a disquiet among Muslim voters and a disengagement from traditional party politics.
In one of the most surprising results of the 2024 election, Jonathan Ashworth, a member of Labour’s shadow cabinet, lost his Leicester South seat to independent candidate Shockat Adam.
Adam turned over a majority of 20,000, having campaigned on issues related to Gaza. In his first speech in the House of Commons, Adam told his voters he would “speak up for them in these corridors of power”. He also vowed to “speak about the injustices of the world” with a focus on the “forgotten in Yemen” and “victims of conflict in Sudan”.
In Blackburn, independent candidate Adnan Hussein overturned Labour’s previous majority of over 10,000 to score a narrow victory by 132 votes. Iqbal Mohamed, another independent, took Dewsbury and Batley in Yorkshire by 7,000 votes. And Ayoub Khan overturned a majority of 15,000 to take Birmingham Perry Barr from Khalid Mahmood by 500 votes.
There were incidents of threats and verbal abuse during the election. Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, described “an absolutely horrible campaign”. Shortly after being voted in, Adam was forced to miss the government’s announcement on aid funding for Gaza due to a potential death threat against him.
Starmer’s government should take a firm line, investigating and, where appropriate, prosecuting those involved. Then begins the vital work of dealing with the legitimate concerns of Muslim communities.
The Labour party’s manifesto included a commitment to recognise Palestinian sovereignty. A few days after the election, funding was reinstated to the UN Relief and Works Agency, an aid delivery body working in Gaza.
This is a start. But the solution doesn’t end at stronger leadership on Israel-Palestine. These should be the first three steps to reassuring the UK’s Muslim citizens that their needs are being taken seriously:
1. Understand what drove the independent vote
The independent vote was not only about Gaza. Socio-economic disadvantage was a factor, too. Adam pledged to fight to abolish the two-child benefit cap – a welfare policy that limits universal credit and child tax credits to a family’s first two children. The Muslim Council of Britain argued in 2019 that this policy affects Muslims more than other faith groups. Figures at the time showed 46% of Muslims lived in the ten most deprived local authorities in England and 60% of Muslim children lived in families with three or more dependent children.
Starmer has no plans to scrap the two-child cap but must deliver his manifesto pledges relating to economic growth. This would give hope to Muslim communities in the UK’s poorest areas.
According to the last census, respondents identifying as Muslim in England and Wales had the lowest percentage of people aged 16 to 64 in employment. They were less likely to own their home and nearly four times more likely to live in overcrowded homes than the general population.
2. Deal with Islamophobia
Data provides an incomplete picture but anti-Muslim discrimination is widespread in the UK.
Research has confirmed that anti-Muslim prejudices, discrimination and hatred form a common part of everyday life for many Muslims in the UK.
The Metropolitan Police recorded an increase in Islamophobic incidents following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7. There were 101 incidents between October 1 and 18 2023 – up from 44 incidents during the same period in 2022.
The record of the last government was largely one of inaction. It failed to adopt an official definition of Islamophobia despite one being proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims. This defined the problem as “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.
When in opposition, the Labour party adopted this definition but it isn’t yet clear if the plan is now to make it the government’s definition.
Either way, a definition of some kind needs to be adopted quickly. This would then form the basis for bold policies to tackle Islamophobia.
3. Rebuild relations with Muslim organisations
As a third course of action, the new Labour government needs to rebuild a network of officially-endorsed organisations that represent and support Muslim communities in the UK. Currently, engagement with Muslim-led organisations is non-existent.
Organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain are well-placed to make a major contribution to this re-building work. However, the UK government suspended links with the MCB in 2009. This was due to its position on Gaza and for allegedly condoning attacks on British troops.
More recently, the MCB had restored informal contact with MPs and civil servants to discuss important matters affecting Muslims communities. These intermittent relations stopped after the UK government cut funding for the Inter Faith Network – a charity working to increase cooperation between faith communities – in February 2024. This was after the organisation appointed a former deputy secretary general of the MCB as a trustee.
With or without the MCB, the government – perhaps via Angela Rayner as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government – would be well-advised to reassess its criteria for engaging with Muslim-led organisations.
The Commission for Countering Extremism, a Home Office-funded advisory body, could play a key role here in enabling a constructive dialogue between Muslim communities and the government.
If Starmer follows these steps, he can begin the process of building a programme of community engagement. Doing so will encourage a return to mainstream politics within the Muslim communities his government now serves.
Julian Hargreaves does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
