Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham won elections in areas with large Muslim populations. Both engaged with us as citizens
The local and mayoral elections saw many traditional Labour-voting Muslim voters abandon the party they’ve loyally supported for decades.
One incident from one interview, and one sentiment in particular that I heard in my local area, sits front and centre: “I was disgusted when Keir Starmer supported Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza – how can I vote for someone who won’t even apologise for this?” said one man, referring to Starmer’s performance in an interview on LBC last October and corroborated by a senior colleague that same week.