Jacob Rees-Mogg issues chilling warning on Rochdale by-election - 'RELIGION determining votes!'

Both the Labour and Green candidates had support withdrawn after making comments on the conflict in Gaza.

The Tory MP said he believes “it is not a good thing for British politics” if religion determines votes and foreign politics becomes a sticking point of local elections.

Rees-Mogg said: “This by-election has come when the whole issue around Israel and Gaza is to the forefront, when the Labour candidate had to stand aside because of anti-Semitic comments he made and that there's been clearly a strong religious vote.

“And that should concern us if we are getting religion determining votes in UK politics.

“This has sort of happened before, obviously happened a lot in Northern Ireland, happened a little in Liverpool, a little in Glasgow.

“But this is very unusual for UK politics and it's not, I think, a good thing for British politics.”

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He continued: “It's very bad news for the Labour Party because the Labour Party thought that it had a block Muslim vote and it's now found that actually that's quite tempted to go off for George Galloway, which it's done before.”

Tom Harwood then questioned: “Do you think that this has implications for the wider General Election later this year or is this just a Galloway-specific phenomenon?”

Rees-Mogg agreed, saying: “I think it could have implications.”

The by-election in Rochdale was sparked after veteran Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd died on January 17 just days after announcing he had an incurable form of leukaemia.

In 2019, Lloyd snatched victory with a healthy majority of just under 10,000 votes and a share of more than 51 per cent.

Eleven candidates were on the ballot Azhar Ali (Labour), Mark Coleman (Independent), Simon Danczuk (Reform UK), Iain Donaldson (Lib Dems), Paul Ellison (Conservative), George Galloway (Workers Party), Michael Howarth (Independent), William Howarth (Independent), Guy Otten (Green Party), Ravin Rodent Subortna (Monster Raving Loony Party), David Tully (Independent).