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’. Ouch. In an area where one in four residents is Muslim, Sir Keir’s clumsy proclamations on the Middle East clearly haven’t won him much favour.
Mr S suspects that Galloway is rubbing his hands with glee at Oldham voters turning their backs on Labour. ‘Gorgeous George’ and his Workers Party of Britain have already caused one upset by winning the Rochdale constituency seat back in February. But the maverick is not finished causing Sir Keir problems yet. Galloway has already threatened Angela Rayner with an electoral challenge, claiming that ‘at least’ 15,000 of her constituents ‘support my point of view’ — and promising that ‘we’ll be putting a candidate up against her’. Watch your back, Ange…
With the council of Oldham a mere four miles from Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne constituency — and with the deputy Labour leader’s rather modest majority of 4,200 — Rayner will need to hope that the antipathy of Muslim voters doesn’t spread much closer…
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