We have been following the results of the parliamentary elections in the UK that took place earlier this month, where the British electorate granted the Labour Party an absolute majority with approximately 409 seats out of 650. Meanwhile, the Conservatives suffered a loss of over 241 seats, marking one of the Labour Party’s largest victories since 1997.
However, the Labour Party experienced a significant electoral defeat in areas with large Muslim populations (3.9 million Muslims, constituting 6.5% of the UK population). This setback stems from dissatisfaction with Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza, despite their sweeping victory in the elections.
These results may offer the Muslim Brotherhood networks in the UK a chance to catch their breath, considering that the Labour Party, traditionally aligned with center-left politics, managed to defeat the right-wing Conservative Party. Nevertheless, the relationship between Labour and Islamists in general is not at its best these days due to their position on the Gaza conflict and the passing of several laws aimed at tightening the grip on Islamism in the UK in recent years.
As a result of our research and investigation, we have exclusive information about the winning and losing candidates supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and its networks in the UK, through the “Arab Vote” and “Muslim Vote” campaigns led by Anas Altikriti. They are:
- Jeremy Bernard Corbyn: He won and is considered one of the Brotherhood’s greatest gains. Jeremy is the former leader of the Labour Party, having run in the latest elections as an independent. He successfully retained his long-held seat in Islington North, London, after defeating his Labour competitor. Corbyn has long been a supporter of Palestine, and his electoral platform included a call to end the occupation of Palestinian territories. He is known for his close ties with the Muslim Council of Britain (Muslim Brotherhood) for reasons believed to be electoral.
- Liam Muhammad: Lost by approximately half a percent.
- Johnny MacKenzie in Birmingham Yardley: Lost by a margin of a thousand votes.
- Ajmal Masroor: In East London, lost by 1,600 votes to Labour’s Rushanara Ali.
- Shawkat Adam: Won as an independent in the Leicester South constituency. With no prior political background, Adam, of Indian descent, has lived in Leicester since he was three after his family moved from Malawi to England. Adam is an optometrist who has run several optical clinics in the area and has been active in the local Muslim community for years. Known for his support of the Palestinian cause, Adam raised the Palestinian keffiyeh at the end of his victory speech, saying, “This is for the people of Gaza.”
- Iqbal Muhammad: An independent candidate who won in Dewsbury and Batley. He focused on a ceasefire and peace agreement in Gaza.
- George Galloway: Lost to the Labour candidate in Rochdale, Northern England. Galloway is known for his pro-Palestinian stances.
- Adnan Hussain: Won in Blackburn.
All publishing rights and copyrights reserved to MENA Research Center.
