It’s not been a good night for the Tories – but Labour has not emerged unscathed either. Sir Keir Starmer’s party suffered the surprise loss of Oldham council, after a flurry of independent pro-Palestine candidates cost Labour overall control there. Amid briefings that the ‘Gaza factor’ has now handed the West Midlands mayoralty to Andy Street again, Steerpike wonders whether Starmer’s high command has failed to heed George Galloway’s warning that the next election ‘will be about Muslims’.
In Oldham, a number of independents made gains by running on an overtly pro-Gaza platform, incorporating Palestinian flags into TikTok campaigns as part of their efforts to entice disaffected Labour voters. And some went even further on the anti-Starmer angle, dredging up the Labour leader’s controversial LBC interview in which he claimed Israel ‘has the right’ to withhold humanitarian aid from Gaza. They’ve also mocked up photos of the lefty leader bearing the slogan: ‘Trust me – I’m a liar’.
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