British Muslim Support for Labour Party Plummets over Gaza Stance


Labour leader Keir Starmer. (Photo: Rwendland, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

A recent survey has revealed a significant decline in support for the Labour Party among Muslims in the UK, as many are dissatisfied with the party’s response to Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.

“The results send a clear message: Muslims have lost trust in the Labour Party because of their support for genocide,” the Labour Muslim Network (LMN) said on X on Monday. 

The network partnered with Survation, one of the UK’s largest polling organizations, to conduct the poll “on the political views of British Muslims since Israel’s aggression on Gaza began.” It also comes ahead of the next general election expected this year. 

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Among British Muslims, support for the Labour Party has dropped to 43 percent having been at 86 percent during the 2019 general election, the poll found. 

“For decades the Muslim community has been amongst the most loyal Labour supporters anywhere in the United Kingdom. The findings of this new opinion poll shows a startling collapse of this electoral and communal relationship,” LMN said. 

A total of 38 percent of those surveyed said that their views of the party had become more unfavorable over the last 12 months.

In a statement, LMN said, “This is a crisis point for the future of the relationship between the British Muslim community and the Labour Party.” 

These findings, the organization said, “come in the context of over 100 days of Israel’s continuous assault on Gaza. Over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 10,000 of whom are children, and the Labour Party’s response has been unacceptable and deeply offensive to Muslims across Britain.”

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Crimes against Gazans

The poll also found that 85 percent of British Muslims believe the position of political leaders on “the Israel-Palestine conflict” will be important in influencing their vote at the polls.

“Muslim voters have been watching and are now sending a clear message – they will not support any political party that does not fervently oppose the crimes committed against the people of Gaza.” 

The statement added, “The Labour leadership must change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation.” 

In October, the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, caused controversy when he said Israel had “the right” to withhold power and water from the Gaza Strip. 

Several Labour councilors have subsequently resigned, reportedly citing the party’s approach to the war. 

The poll was conducted between January 18 and February 3, 2024.

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Israel is being accused of committing genocide in Gaza. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 27,478 Palestinians have been killed, and 66,835 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 8,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all of the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

(The Palestine Chronicle)





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