Poll of British Muslims shows falling support for Labour
Support for Britain’s Labour Party has declined among Muslim voters as the Israel-Gaza war shapes their thinking in an election year, polling shows.
Historically a solidly Labour voter base, only 43 per cent of Muslims said they would support Keir Starmer’s party, the Survation poll found.
About 25 per cent of those surveyed are undecided, with 70 per cent saying the stance British politicians take on the Israel-Palestine crisis will be “very important” to their vote.
Leaving out the undecided voters, Labour has 60 per cent support compared with an estimated 86 per cent at the last general election in 2019. Some have warmed to Labour and only 6 per cent say they would support Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
Still, the Labour Muslim Network, which commissioned the polling, said the results represented a “crisis point”. It called on the party’s leadership to “change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation”.
“Muslim voters have been watching and are now sending a clear message – they will not support any political party that does not fervently oppose the crimes committed against the people of Gaza,” it said.
“For decades, the Muslim community has been among the most loyal Labour supporters anywhere in the United Kingdom. The findings of this new opinion poll show a startling collapse of this electoral and communal relationship.”
The poll found Mr Starmer was viewed unfavourably by 40 per cent of Muslim voters, with 29 per cent viewing him favourably. Mr Sunak’s ratings were worse, with 69 per cent viewing him unfavourably and 11 per cent viewing him favourably.
While 38 per cent of Muslim voters said their view of Labour had become less favourable in the past year, 34 per cent said they viewed the party more favourably.
The trend was more clearly negative for the Conservatives, with 62 per cent viewing them less favourably and 11 per cent viewing them more favourably. The findings add weight to anecdotal evidence of Muslim voters souring on Labour, as Mr Starmer struggles to maintain unity over the Gaza war.
Ali Milani, chairman of the Muslim network behind the poll, has criticised Mr Starmer for defending Israeli tactics and sharing a platform with Israel’s ambassador in Britain, who said she could not accept a Palestinian state.
Mr Milani was Labour’s candidate in Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in the 2019 election, and has warned that Labour could “throw decades of Muslim support away” if the party fails to back a ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr Starmer has tried to perform a balancing act by calling for a two-state solution and condemning the death toll in Gaza, while evading calls to demand an immediate ceasefire.
He has made a priority of cleaning up Labour’s reputation among Jewish voters after allegations of anti-Semitism dogged the party under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
Pro-Palestinian activists were angered last week by reports Mr Starmer commissioned private polling of Muslim voters, accusing him of being led by political tactics.
A previous Survation poll suggested 86 per cent of Muslim voters backed Labour at the last general election in 2019, even as it fell to a landslide defeat nationally.