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Dozens of pro-Palestinian campaigners have been elected as councillors as the war in Gaza hit town halls across Britain.
More than 40 councillors were elected in England after making the conflict part of their campaign, analysis of Thursday's vote suggests.
Some wore rosettes in the colours of the Palestinian flag while others dedicated their victories to the people of Gaza.
One shouted: 'We will raise the voice of Palestine. Allahu Akbar!'
In at least 12 town halls, they defeated Labour candidates, prompting opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer to pledge to win back the trust of voters alienated over his stance on the issue.
The moment a Green Party councillor shouts 'Allahu Akbar' after being elected in Leeds
More than 40 councillors were elected in England after making the conflict part of their campaign, analysis of Thursday's vote suggests. Pictured: Councillor Mothin Ali
The Palestine sympathisers riding wave of support for wartorn Gaza
Candidates across northern Britain were elected to councils after expressing support for the Palestinian cause.
Kaleel Khan, who campaigned as a pro-Palestinian independent candidate in the Thameside Council elections in Greater Manchester defeated long-serving Labour incumbent Dave McNally.
His campaign website reads: ‘The Labour Party’s failure to declare the Israeli actions in Gaza a potential genocide is a disgrace.’ It was one of two seats Labour lost to an independent. Law graduate Aisha Kouser was one of eight independent candidates to win a seat on Oldham Council also in Greater Manchester.
Ms Kouser was among several candidates to express her support for Palestine while running for election and she included the red, white, green and black flag on her campaign material.
She won more than double the votes of her nearest rival – the Labour candidate – after describing herself as a ‘voice for Palestine’ in the run-up to the election. Meanwhile, the Palestinian flag was also used by a group of prospective councillors standing as Blackburn Independents. Seven of the nine were elected to Blackburn with Darwen Council. On their website, the group said they were motivated by the ‘perceived lack of adequate attention and support from both the Labour and Conservative parties’.
They added: ‘[We] aspire to bring a fresh perspective to the political arena, advocating for justice, and addressing the gaps left by mainstream politics regarding the Palestinian cause.’
His comments led one pressure group, The Muslim Vote, to issue him with an extraordinary set of 18 demands, including ending Britain's military ties with Israel and recognising the state of Palestine.
Last night senior Tories said they feared the elections will mean town halls end up being dominated by debates over foreign affairs rather than local services.
Ex-Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Mail: 'People are entitled to their views but foreign affairs is a matter for the House of Commons, not local councils.
'This is a consequence of the Left's attempt to segment society and create a coalition of minorities rather than a unified whole. This is very divisive for the country at large.'
Former Home Office minister Sir John Hayes added: 'I find it disturbing when you have people standing for election not because they care about making a contribution to building a better Britain, but because they are more interested in events overseas.
'It's important that people can express their views on foreign affairs, but that should not be the basis for standing to govern a local authority.'
Tory candidate and former No 10 chief of staff Nick Timothy said: 'Of course it alarms people that politicians scream 'Allahu Akbar' about a foreign war in a British local election held to decide who collects the bins.
'As ever, the usual liberal suspects prefer to turn a blind eye, or even defend it.'
The war has loomed large over Westminster since Hamas's terror attack of October 7 triggered deadly reprisals by Israel.
Sir Keir suffered the biggest rebellion of his leadership in November when ten frontbenchers resigned or quit over his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
But Thursday's local elections were the first time that large numbers of pro-Palestine campaigners have stood for election, mostly in areas of the North West with large Muslim populations.
It will lead to concerns about growing sectarianism in British politics. In Oldham, independent candidates won eight of the 21 seats available, with several of them explicitly campaigning in support of Palestine.
Mothin Ali out campaigning for his council seat - which he won on Thursday
Members of the Blackburn Independents group who adopted the Palestinian flag in their campaign for election
Aisha Kouser (pictured) won more than double the votes of her nearest rival, Labour's candidate, after describing herself to voters in Oldham as a 'voice for Palestine' in her campaign material
Reform ‘handed the West Mids mayoralty to Labour’
WAVERING Conservative voters who opted for Reform in the West Midlands mayoral election handed the seat to Labour, Tories said yesterday.
Reform candidate Elaine Williams picked up 34,471 votes in a contest which saw Andy Street ousted by Labour’s Richard Parker by just 1,508 ballots. Ministers and backbenchers lamented the insurgent Reform party for splitting the vote.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper told Sky News: ‘Any Conservative who chooses to vote Reform just gets more Labour people elected... the opposite of what those people want to see.’
In Pendle, Lancashire, pro-Palestinian independents won five of the 12 seats up for grabs.
There was a similar surge in Bradford, where nine of the 30 seats went to independents. Seven of the candidates either criticised Labour directly for its Gaza stance, or made pro-Palestinian statements.
Mothin Ali, a Green Party candidate in Leeds, said he would 'raise the voice of Palestine – Allahu Akbar!' during his victory speech, although Palestine did not feature on his party profile page.
Tory peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough said the Greens 'will rue the day it admitted these deranged zealots into their party for cheap opportunistic short-term reasons'.
In the West Midlands mayoral election, pro-Palestine independent Akhmed Yakoob came third with 69,621 votes.
Before the count there had been an anonymous briefing to the BBC – condemned by Labour HQ – that the party would lose the contest as a result of the 'Middle East not West Midlands', and that Hamas were 'real villains'.
Sir Keir told Sky News: 'I say directly to those who may have voted Labour in the past, but felt on this occasion they couldn't, that across the West Midlands we are a proud and diverse community. I have heard you. I have listened.
'And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future.'
Only 18% of Londoners backed Khan for mayor
LESS than a fifth of Londoners voted to give Sadiq Khan a third term in office, despite the mayor boasting of ‘record support’ in the capital.
The Labour mayor earned 43.8 per cent of the vote, compared with Tory Susan Hall’s 32.7 per cent – but the voter turnout figure was only 40.5 per cent. This means that Mr Khan’s mandate came from only 17.7 per cent of the London electorate.
MP Paul Scully, who ran to be the Tory mayoral candidate, blamed his party’s failure on a ‘negative’ campaign. ‘You can’t just sit there and moan from the sidelines,’ he said.
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