Sabia Akram has dedicated much of her life to campaigning for Britain’s opposition Labour Party. However, she won't be celebrating if Labour wins the upcoming
July 4 election. She has resigned from the party, citing dissatisfaction with leader Keir Starmer’s stance on the Gaza conflict and issues related to race.
Under Starmer’s leadership, Labour has regained its position in the political center, leading significantly in opinion polls after a significant defeat in the 2019 election under former leader Jeremy Corbyn. However, this shift has cost him support among some Black and Asian voters who traditionally back Labour, particularly due to his support for Israel and the party's gradual move towards advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Interviews with voters, pollsters, political activists, and academics reveal that Labour’s treatment of Diane Abbott, the first Black woman MP in the UK, and the blocking of a Muslim candidate have further alienated some supporters. Starmer’s strategy of moving the party to the center and promoting candidates who would form a disciplined voting bloc if elected has distanced ethnic minorities who supported Corbyn’s left-wing vision.
Sofia Collignon, an associate professor at Queen Mary University, noted that while the national revamp of the party has been effective, it has created tensions among members and voters. Starmer’s challenge is to maintain unity among the diverse factions.
Critics like Akram argue that Starmer has sacrificed Labour’s core values in pursuit of political power. She expressed that the party no longer adheres to its foundational principles and has become a broad church for anyone wishing to join, referencing a right-wing lawmaker who defected from the Conservative Party.
A longstanding Ipsos poll tracking ethnic minority voting intentions indicates that in the latter half of 2023, Starmer had the lowest net satisfaction rating of any Labour opposition leader since the poll series began in 1996. Despite Labour's strong 20-point lead in opinion polls, Keiran Pedley from Ipsos pointed out that while current concerns among ethnic minorities might not affect the immediate election outcome, lasting trends could become politically significant.
In early June, Akram, along with six others, resigned as a Labour councillor in Slough, west of London. They cited censorship around Gaza, which they felt prevented criticism of Israel, and the blocking of Faiza Shaheen from standing as a Labour candidate due to her historic tweets criticizing Israeli supporters. Shaheen, now running as an independent, believes her exclusion was also influenced by her left-wing stance.
The Labour Party did not respond to requests for comment on these allegations. Last month, after a parliamentary win in northern England and gaining control of several councils, Starmer acknowledged that the Gaza conflict had affected Labour’s support in some areas.
Akram also criticized the treatment of Diane Abbott, suspended from Labour for over a year after comments about racism faced by Jewish, Irish, and Traveller people. Initially, media reports suggested she would be blocked from running in the election, causing voter outrage, but the party later stated she could stand as its candidate again.
Ngozi Fulani, founder and CEO of Sistah Space, a domestic abuse charity in Abbott’s Hackney constituency, mentioned that many Black people wanted Abbott to run as an independent. Fulani noted that while Black people traditionally vote Labour, there is a sense of declining association with the party, which appears disinterested in issues specifically affecting them.
Hackney, where 21% of the population is Black, is one of London’s most deprived areas, with over a third of households living below the poverty line after housing costs. Of 18 people Reuters interviewed in Hackney, 14 felt Abbott had been treated unfairly and expressed support for her in the upcoming election following her reinstatement.
Starmer, the former chief prosecutor, became Labour leader in April 2020, pledging to reform the party after an equalities watchdog found it had discriminated against Jews. A 2022 independent investigation also highlighted structural racism, sexism, and factionalism within Labour, along with a “hierarchy of racism” prioritizing antisemitism.
While Labour has historically been a stronghold for ethnic minority voters, and one in five of its election candidates are from ethnic minority backgrounds according to think tank British Future, other parties, including the ruling Conservatives under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have more visible representation, potentially attracting these voters in the future. Photo by Rwendland, Wikimedia commons.