A pro-Palestine independent candidate beat Labour in a London council by-election on Thursday, signalling that the rulling party has not regained the support lost over its Israel policy since last July’s election.
Noor Jahan Begum of the Redbridge & Ilford Independents won a Mayfield council by-election with 1,080 votes against the local Labour candidate, who secured 663 votes, in the north-east London borough of Redbridge, which has a large Muslim population.
The result comes after high-profile Labour figures, including health secretary Wes Streeting, whose own constituency is nearby, were seen campaigning in the area ahead of the vote.
The by-election signals that UK policy on Israel continues to impact British electoral politics in some areas, which will likely be a cause for concern for the Labour leadership.
Begum, a local magistrate and the winning candidate, campaigned on hot-button local issues – including council tax, crime levels and housing – as well as on “justice for Palestine and Ukraine”.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Gaza played a prominent role in the campaign, with Palestinian flags adorning the leaflets handed out to voters.
Local issues and foreign policy concerns
The party also capitalised on a recent scandal surrounding local Labour MP Jas Athwal, who triggered the by-election by standing down as the Mayfield councillor last month.
In 2024, Athwal faced calls to resign after the BBC uncovered ant infestations and black mould in several rental properties that he owned.
“Over the past 10 years, this Labour Council has had a very shoddy record in delivering for the people of Redbridge,” Begum said in a statement to voters ahead of the election.
“Our streets are filthy and crime is at epidemic levels. We desperately need local people to control their own destiny.”
Vaseem Ahmed, chair of the Redbridge & Ilford Independents, said on Thursday night that “ordinary working people rejected a party that no longer represents them”.
Describing Athwal as a “rogue landlord”, Ahmed said the MP and Labour thought they could “get away with this atrocious behaviour”.
He referenced the government’s planned welfare cuts, saying: “Together, we defeated the politics that think it can with total impunity, attack our NHS, cut benefits to the poorest in society, including the disabled and old-age pensioners.”
Ahmed also highlighted British support for Israel: “A Labour Party that thinks nothing of arming and supporting Israel as it commits a genocide in Gaza is not a party of peace and internationalism.”
The Labour government introduced partial restrictions on export licences for arms to Israel last September, but has since continued to insist that Israel is a valued UK ally – even while criticising its renewed assault on Gaza this month.
Since entering government, Labour has lost more than 40 percent of the council seats it has defended in by-elections, with its vote share falling in over 80 percent of them.
The most recent by-election suggests that this trend is continuing – and that UK support for Israel amid its assault on Gaza remains an important political issue for some voters.
