Inside Labour's battle to retain hard-left heartlands as pro-Gaza independents plot Keir Starmer's downfall

Aaron Bastani calls Keir Starmer a 'very, very dangerous man' and warns against calling for a Gaza protest crackdown
GB NEWS
George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 05/07/2025

- 06:00

Updated: 05/07/2025

- 12:03

GB News ventured to Leicester South to take a look at whether pro-Gaza independents still pose a major challenge to Labour

In a corner of the East Midlands, Sir Keir Starmer faces an almighty challenge from a new force in British politics.

While Nigel Farage continues to eat into Labour's vote across large swathes of its Brexit-backing Red Wall heartlands, pro-Gaza independent candidates siphon off thousands of votes in diverse towns and cities, such as Leicester.


The City of Kings, now home to almost 100,000 Muslims, has been a Labour stronghold for decades.

However, down in the city's Leicester South constituency, concerns about Israel's war against Hamas are pulling voters away from Labour.

Optician-turned-politician Shockat Adam snatched the seat from ex-Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth in last year's General Election.

The seat had been held by Labour since 2005, with Ashworth going into the 2024 poll sitting on a comfortable 22,675-vote majority.

READ GB NEWS'S REFORM DEEP-DIVE HERE:‘You ain’t seen nothing yet!’ Nigel Farage sets sights on power as Reform insiders reveal real reason behind ‘surprise’ surge

However, Adam claimed victory with a razor-thin majority of 979 votes. Adam quickly made it clear that the issue of Gaza, which many fear could foster the rise of sectarian politics following 2023's October 7 attacks, was a cornerstone of his victory.

While unveiling a keffiyeh headscarf, the 52-year-old declared: "This is for the people of Gaza."

When GB News ventured up to Leicester South earlier this week, the sentiments expressed in last year's campaign, which was riddled with allegations of intimidation, remained firmly in place.

"What's going on in Gaza is a genocide," one local resident told the People's Channel. "And Labour don't want to do anything about it."

Palestinian flags remain adorned across the terraced houses, with flyers advertising various protests and marches. One that appeared several times read: "All Out For Gaza"

Anna Jones, another Leicester local, told GB News: "It's no surprise [Labour] lost here. People were fed up. I think people felt like Starmer and Lammy were not being strong enough on it."

READ GB NEWS'S LATEST 2024 GENERAL ELECTION ANNIVERSARY COVERAGE:

Shockat Adam campaigning with pro-Palestine protesters

Shockat Adam campaigning with pro-Palestine protesters

X

However, with Starmer marking his anniversary in power following a number of U-turns, the ongoing war in the Middle East is not the only topic on the minds of voters in Leicester South.

Khalid, who has lived in the area for the best part of two decades, told GB News: "It's Labour and the Tories, they don't care about these places. They'll never come to deprived areas like this. I don't see any difference between them."

Adnan Nafura, another Leicester local, added: "I don't know what to say. Labour have just been disappointing. I think they've let down a lot of people."

And pro-Gaza candidates across the country might have received a post-election boost this week following the announcement that suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana is plotting to join forces with disgraced former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn, who set up the Independent Alliance to bring together a gaggle of pro-Gaza MPs in September 2024, is reportedly not completely aware of Sultana's idea but already hinted at building a force to take on Labour in time for next year's Local Elections.

Adnan Hussain joined the faction after beating Labour's Kate Hollern by just 132 votes in Blackburn, the constituency once held by ex-Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Palestine flags were hung up in windows

GB NEWS

Meanwhile, Iqbal Mohamed secured his spot following his 7,000-vote victory in Dewsbury & Batley, defeating Heather Iqbal, who was once an adviser to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Almost 100 miles away, in Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan beat Labour's Khalid Mahmood, England’s first Muslim MP by a mere 507 votes.

Despite Corbyn seemingly being unaware of Sultana's socialist plot, the pro-Gaza faction can already set its sights on a number of Labour-held urban seats.

Palestinian activist Leanne Mohamad was the most notable pro-Gaza candidate to leave a Labour bigwig sweating at last year's count, trailing Health Secretary Wes Streeting by just 528 votes in Ilford North.

"[She] was incredible. Leanne Mohamad should have won in July last year," said co-founder of Novara Media, Aaron Bastani.

Speaking to GB News, Bastani pointed out that Mohamad had been canvassing with Corbyn in the constituency the weekend before the election.

READ MORE JEREMY CORBYN STORIES HERE:
\u200bFormer Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at the People's Assembly Against Austerity protestFormer Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at the People's Assembly Against Austerity protest PA

He said: "I think there's so much attention on the big stories, right? Jeremy Corbyn winning was a huge story. Labour winning was a huge story. Tory collapse was a huge story.

"People only have so much attention. I think if people thought that Leanne Mohamad had a plausible chance of winning, which she obviously did, then I think she would have got it over the line."

When asked why Mohamad came so close to snatching the seat, Bastani told GB News: "People are going to say it's Gaza. I mean of course, it's partly Gaza, but I think it's also just how people think.

"There is a plausible outlet for sort of resentment at Labour amongst people who historically vote Labour, and that's Leanne Mohammed in that in that constituency."

And it wasn't just in Ilford North. Pro-Gaza candidates finished runner-up in another 15 constituencies, stretching from Slough to Oldham.

In Birmingham Yardley, former Labour leadership candidate Jess Philips held onto her seat by just 693 votes against Workers Party candidate Jody McIntyre - with scenes at the count going viral.

LATEST LABOUR STORIES:
\u200bLeanne Mohamad was just over 500 votes away from unseating Wes Streeting

Leanne Mohamad was just over 500 votes away from unseating Wes Streeting

GETTY

Phillips, who has held the seat since 2015, was heckled and booed throughout her victory speech - staring down chants of "shame on you" and "free Palestine".

In neighbouring Birmingham Ladywood, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood held off competition from lawyer-turned-influencer Akhmed Yakoob, with her majority slashed from 32,000 to just 3,421.

Bethnal Green & Stepney, formerly home to firebrand leftist George Galloway, also saw the UK's first British Bangladeshi MP Rushnara Ali, beat independent candidate Ajmal Masroor by just 1,689 votes.

Even in the Prime Minister's own constituency, London's deep red spot of St Holborn & Pancras, pro-Gaza independent Andrew Feinsten came second with 7,312 votes - cutting Starmer's majority lead by over 16,000 votes.

After shocking Labour strategist in the 2024 by-election in Rochdale, Galloway, who serves as Workers Party leader having previously been elected as both a Labour and later a Respect MP, lost his seat to Paul Waugh in a snap re-run just four months later.

Ex-Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne only managed to hold onto Birmingham Hodge Hill & Solihull North against Workers Party candidate James Giles with a majority of 1,566.

Nigel Farage could also benefit from the emergence of a pro-Gaza Corbyn-led party, with More in Common suggesting Labour would take a three-point hit while Reform would extend its lead to seven per cent.

Despite the clear challenge to a number of Labour MPs, polling guru Sir John Curtice told GB News it can be tricky to determine which seats across the country could swing to a pro-Gaza independent in the future.

However, he said there could be signs where Labour would lose support massively in areas with large Muslim populations.

Curtice said: "The broader point is that Labour lost ground very, very heavily in constituencies with quite lots of people identify as Muslim.

"When you look at the numbers since the election, I think there isn't any clear sign that Labour have made much progress in reconnecting with voters in predominantly Muslim constituencies."

However, the rise of the Green Party could be another factor that may swing future elections away from Labour.

Bastani pointed to Bristol Central, the seat of outgoing Green co-leader Carla Denyer, as an example of how fragile the current state of play is for the Labour Party.

He said: "Thangam Debbonaire had a 28,000 vote majority. Now the Greens are on 62 per cent there. That shows you how fragile Labour's voting block is. That's insane."

Agreeing with Bastani, Curtice added: "The Greens were doing relatively well in constituencies with lots of Muslims last year.

"It's partly because the constituencies with large numbers of Muslim voters also have a lot of younger voters, and the Greens did particularly well with much younger voters.

"So disentangling those two things is more difficult. But the Greens, George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain, as well as the independents, were doing the damage last year."

However, both agreed that things look bleak for Labour in these seats they once took for granted.

When asked if they could win back these seats, Curtice said: "It's probably impossible. It's so toxic now this issue, and given what's happened in Gaza the last 12 months, Labour has not done anything to make it easier to win these voters back."

Bastani gave a more blunt answer. He said: "They're done."

"Look at the polling for Wales which has them in third," Bastani added. "They've been the major party in Wales for a century. Polling in Scotland has them third. I mean that's it.

"That's all you need to know, right? It's literally all you need to know."

Back in Leicester South, one resident, Rashid Ahmed, frankly concluded: "They're just f**ked and its all their own fault."