A new poll suggests Labour could see an outright collapse in its Muslim vote at the next general election because of its response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Sir Keir Starmer provoked a backlash in the Muslim community over an LBC interview in which he suggested that Israel has the “right” to cut off power and water from Gaza.
He has since acknowledged the “distress” caused by the remarks and has sought to clarify his position, arguing that he did not mean to back the siege on more than two million Palestinians.
The comments have led to a raft of resignations at a council level, and could have dealt a hammer blow to the party’s support within the Muslim community.
Research group Muslim Census conducted a survey to gauge how the government’s response to the recent events in Israel and Palestine has affected British Muslim’s potential voting choices.
It received 30,000 responses and found a 66 PER CENT drop in Labour voters.
The survey revealed that in the 2019 General Election, 71 per cent of British Muslims voted for Labour while now, just five percent said they would vote Labour again.
A staggering 98 per cent of respondents said their decision was influenced by the Labour Party’s stance on the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine.
The founder of Muslim Census, Sadiq Dorasat said: “To receive over 30,000 responses in the space of a week, shows how important and pressing this topic is for British Muslims.”
“The responses show an overwhelming shift in the Muslim sentiment towards our main political parties. It is up to our political leaders to respond and reassure our communities moving forwards.”
Related: ‘Ceasefire now!’ 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters take to London streets to demand ceasefire
