A new poll has revealed a 43% decline in Muslim support for the Labour Party since the last general election in 2019.
The poll, commissioned by the Labour Muslim Network and conducted by one of the UK’s largest polling organisations, Survation, comes amid Muslim fury with the Labour Party over its support for Israel while it is committing genocide in Gaza.
The survey found that:
- Only 43% of Muslims would vote Labour if there were a general election tomorrow (compared to 86% in 2019 when Jeremy Corbyn was leader).
- 85% of Muslims believe that the position of British political leaders on the Israel-Palestine conflict is very important or important.
- 39% of Muslims have an unfavourable view of Keir Starmer compared to 30% who have a favourable view.
The poll was conducted by Survation via telephone interview and field work was conducted between January 18 and February 3, 2024.
Commenting on the results, the Labour Muslim Network said: “For decades the Muslim community has been amongst the most loyal Labour supporters anywhere in the United Kingdom. The findings of this new opinion poll shows a startling collapse of this electoral and communal relationship. This is a crisis point for the future of the relationship between the British Muslim community and the Labour Party.
“These findings come in the context of over 100 days of Israel’s continuous assault on Gaza. Over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 10,000 of whom are children, and the Labour Party’s response has been unacceptable and deeply offensive to Muslims across Britain. 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.
“The Labour leadership must change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation.”
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A spokesman for the Muslim Vote organisation said: “The latest polls show just a snapshot of the story anyone who has engaged with the Muslim community knows. The Labour party is losing support at historic levels. They have taken the vote of Muslims for granted. They believe we have no alternative and have become complacent regarding our vote.
“Muslims across the country are angry and we are working together, organising to ensure that any MP who has failed to back a ceasefire in Gaza is electorally punished. After 30,000 dead Palestinians, the Labour party has decided to take a firmer tone on Palestine as they are worried about electoral consequences. This is not good enough.”
And a spokesman for the Islamic Human Rights commission said: “It’s actually surprising that 43% of Muslim voters would still back the party at the next general election. We suspect that even those will be holding their nose because of the absence of any genuine alternatives.
“It is not just the genocide in Gaza that is causing disaffection among Muslims. For years Labour has cynically exploited the Muslim vote while pursuing Islamophobic legislation and policies such as Prevent. Its reliance on Zionist funding means that this is unlikely to change.”
