Muslim group issues Starmer with demands to win back lost votes over Gaza

Senior figures have acknowledged that Labour supporters had jumped ship to support candidates with a pro-Palestinian stance – Martin Pope/Getty Images

A Muslim pressure group has issued Sir Keir Starmer with a list of 18 demands, including ending military ties with Israel, to win back voters who abandoned Labour over Gaza.

The Muslim Vote, a campaign to get Muslim voters to back pro-Palestine candidates, told the Labour leader that he must commit to “real action” and deliver on its requests if he is “serious” about his pledge to rebuild trust with those angered by his stance on the conflict.

As well as committing to cease all military ties with Israel, the demands include recognising Palestine as a state, pledging a travel ban on Israeli politicians involved in the war and apologising for Labour’s initial delay in calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The group warned Sir Keir that if he can’t commit to the “real policies”, its supporters will take their votes to the Green Party or Lib Dems.

It comes as Pat McFadden, Labour’s campaign chief, has acknowledged that Sir Keir’s approach to the conflict cost the party votes at the local elections.

Analysis by The Telegraph has found Labour’s support plummeted in areas with a high Muslim population, including Oldham, in Greater Manchester, where the party lost control of the council in a shock defeat.

In the West Midlands mayoral race, where Labour’s Richard Parker beat incumbent Andy Street by a wafer-thin margin, Akhmed Yakoob, an independent backed by George Galloway, syphoned off nearly 70,000 votes.

Mr McFadden told Ms Kuenssberg that if Labour wins the next general election, Palestine will be a ‘very high foreign policy priority’ – Jeff Overs/BBC

Sir Keir addressed the issue head-on after the result, stressing that he was determined to win back the trust of those who had snubbed his party as a result of his approach to the Gaza war.

But pressed repeatedly on what concrete pledges he would make, he was non-committal.

In a direct response to Sir Keir’s appeal, The Muslim Vote challenged him to meet 18 demands, ranging from apologising for Labour’s handling of the conflict to committing to action in government, should the party win the next election.

Other requests included pledging to remove the definition of extremism introduced by Michael Gove and issuing guidance that Muslims are allowed to pray at school.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Mr McFadden acknowledged that the Gaza row had taken a toll on Labour’s vote and admitted Sir Keir needed to win back people’s trust on the issue.

He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I do acknowledge that in some parts of the country that was the case and there will be some people who maybe voted Labour in the past who haven’t in the local elections because of this issue, and where that’s the case, we’ll work to get people’s support back.”

‘Serious electoral consequence’

Ali Milani, the chair of the Labour Muslim Network, has warned Labour’s position on Gaza “is going to have a serious electoral consequence”, adding: “If I was a Labour MP in Bradford, Birmingham, Leicester, or parts of London or Manchester, I would be seriously concerned.”

Asked what he would say to people who took issue with Sir Keir’s handling of the situation, Mr McFadden said: “What I would say to them is that the better life that people want for the Palestinian people is something the Labour leadership shares. If we’re fortunate enough to be elected at a general election, it’s a very high foreign policy priority for the Labour Party.

“Two things have guided us all the way through since Oct 7. The first was defending Israel’s right to defend itself after that atrocity, and that remains part of our position, and the second is working to get a better future for the Palestinian people.”

Speaking in Birmingham following the West Midlands result on Saturday night, in what turned out to be an extremely tight contest, Sir Keir appealed directly to those who had jumped ship over the Gaza row.

He said: “I say directly to those who may have voted Labour in the past, but felt on this occasion they couldn’t, that across the West Midlands we are a proud and diverse community: I have heard you. I have listened.

“And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future.”

Tweeting its demands in response, The Muslim Vote said: “Our asks are sophisticated and we’ve built consensus around them.

“Your sorrowful non-statements no longer cut it.

“We want real action and real policies.

“If you can’t commit to that – that’s cool. I’m sure [the Green Party or the Lib Dems] would be happy to take the votes.”

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