Five pro-Palestine independents won seats in the general election. That’s the same number of seats as Nigel Farage’s Reform won. They include Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North and Shockat Adam in Leicester South. Adam unseated Labour’s shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth who previously had a majority of 22,000 in 2011. Yet judging by the corporate media coverage, you would think Reform was the shock story of the night.
The results
Each of these pro-Palestine independent victories represents a shock upset. Corbyn and Iqbal Hussain Mohamed of Dewsbury and Batley won spectacularly. Mohamed was victorious over the Labour candidate to the point where he’s 7,000 votes ahead of her in the West Yorkshire constituency. Corbyn, meanwhile, won by almost 8,000 votes.
But the other pro-Palestine independents hold slim majorities. Patel won by less than 1,000 votes. Ayoub Khan of Birmingham Perry Barr beat Labour’s longstanding MP Khalid Mahmood by 507 votes. Adnan Hussain defeated the Labour candidate in Blackburn, despite the vote being split with pro-Palestine Workers’ Party candidate Craig Murray. Hussain won with an 132 vote majority.
Patel, who beat Ashworth, had challenged the incumbent on Israel’s assault on Gaza. He said:
Nov 2023, with 11200 slaughtered in Gaza already, Jon did NOT vote for the SNP ceasefire motion.
Khan, who won in Birmingham, said:
The Lib Dems decided they wanted to prevent me from speaking about Gaza, so I made the decision to stand as an independent by resigning from the party
Mohamed, with a huge majority in Dewsbury and Batley, has said:
Let us take a moment to remember our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Palestine who are enduring unimaginable suffering, facing relentless oppression, violence and genocide. Our independent movement is fully committed to an immediate end to the genocide and a free and safe Palestine.
In his victory speech, Hussain of Blackburn said:
We can’t ever forget the reality. We are here on the back of a genocide
Within a whisker
Other high profile Labour MPs came very close to losing their seats to pro-Palestine candidates. Jess Phillips held on by 700 votes to Workers’ Party candidate Jody McIntyre in Birmingham Yardley. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting nearly lost his seat in Ilford North to British Palestinian independent candidate Leanne Mohamad. Mohamad lost by 528 votes. And pro-Palestine independent Muhammed Ali Islam came within 654 votes of unseating Labour’s Naz Shah.
Jewish group Na’amod, meanwhile, said:
Labour in opposition has taken a shameful stance on Gaza, and the strong results for pro-Palestine candidates show the public demands better. The new Government has an opportunity to change course and support the struggle for Palestinian freedom. The time to act is now!
BREAKING: Na’amodniks dropped a banner off Westminster Bridge this morning to make clear to the members of the new Government entering Downing Street today that we will not stop fighting for a ceasefire in Gaza and for an end to Israel’s occupation and apartheid. pic.twitter.com/FnNo1CUws3
— Na’amod (@NaamodUK) July 5, 2024
As Liverpool Community Independents summed up on X:
If Labour claims to have won a historic landslide, show them this. pic.twitter.com/OWga5wKvhs
— Liverpool Community Independents (@LIndependents) July 5, 2024
Yet the corporate media has focused almost entirely on Reform. This is unsurprising, given it – particularly the BBC – has been integral in the rise of its leader Nigel Farage.
Now in government, Keir Starmer will try and wash the genocide with Labour banners. But these new pro-Palestine MPs, along with four from the Greens, are heading to Westminster. They could well upset his effort.
Featured image via Dilly Hussain – X and Oneindia News – YouTube
