Labour needs to 'rebuild trust' with Muslim voters, says Rachel Reeves, following West Yorkshire council losses

The party’s shadow chancellor this week admitted that areas with large Muslim populations had shifted away from the party over its position on the conflict in the Middle East.

“I regret whenever someone decides that they can’t bring themselves to vote for the Labour Party and we will seek to rebuild the trust of those communities in the weeks and months ahead,” she said.

She told LBC that Labour does “want to rebuild relations, which we know are frayed with the Muslim community,” adding that Keir Starmer and David Lammy will lead the work to do so.

On Monday several of Labour’s metro mayors began their new terms in office by posting statements directly addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict on social media following substantial protest votes in council elections in their areas, including Tracy Brabin, the West Yorkshire mayor.

Analysis by The Yorkshire Post found that in 10 local election wards in Yorkshire, Labour lost councillors following an organised vote by its large Muslim population.

These areas, each with populations that are at least 40 per cent Muslim according to the latest census data, saw Sir Keir Starmer’s party pushed to as low as fourth as independent councillors won.

The areas, covering the constituencies of Bradford East, Bradford West and Dewsbury and Batley, could see Labour MPs with a more difficult task come the next general election unless Muslim voters are convinced that the party can be trusted on Palestine.

The Bolton and Undercliffe ward in Bradford East, was won last week by David Ward, the former Liberal Democrat MP for the seat who ran as an independent as part of a slate of Bradford candidates who were critical of Labour and its position on Israel.

In the City ward of Bradford West, Labour was pushed into fourth place. The seat is currently held by Naz Shah who ousted George Galloway in 2015.

Campaigns on the social media platform TikTok by independent candidates in Bradford said that a vote for Labour was the equivalent of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.

Posts seen by The Yorkshire Post referenced both Labour’s refusal to back an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire, as well as Sir Keir Starmer’s suggestions last year that Israel has “the right” to withhold power and water from Gaza, as key attack-lines against the party locally.

In Kirklees, Labour lost its majority on the council as four independent candidates ousted the party’s councillors in areas covering the new Dewsbury and Batley constituency.

Two of these wards are part of the Batley and Spen constituency contested by George Galloway in the 2021 by-election won by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater.

Ali Milani, chair of Labour Muslim Network, said Labour's Gaza position "is going to have a serious electoral consequence" for the party.

"If I was a Labour MP in Bradford or Birmingham or Leicester or parts of London or Manchester I would be seriously concerned," he added.

It comes as Labour also sought to shore up support from the right of the electorate with the defection of Tory MP Natalie Elphicke.

The MP for Dover said the Prime Minister had failed to deliver on his promise to stop the boats and also accused him of deserting the political centre ground.

She crossed the floor in the Commons just moments before Prime Minister’s Questions and sat behind Sir Keir Starmer, who hailed her defection as another indication of how he had changed the Labour Party.

“From small boats to biosecurity, Rishi Sunak’s government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure,” she said.

“Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels.

“It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted.”