Starmer accused of ‘ignoring Muslim voters’ for his stance on Palestine

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “ignoring” Muslim voters’ concerns about his record on Gaza by giving an “awful response” to a question about rebuilding trust with the community.

Apsana Begum, a prominent Left-wing Labour MP, claimed the Prime Minister failed to “assure British Muslims he was listening” to their frustrations as he insisted his party had won an “incredibly strong mandate” at the general election.

While it stormed to a landslide victory overall on July 4, Labour haemorrhaged support in areas with among the highest proportions of Muslim voters.

The party lost to four new Independent MPs in Blackburn, Dewsbury and Batley, Birmingham Perry Barr and Leicester South, as well as former leader Jeremy Corbyn, a long-term supporter of the Palestinian cause, in Islington North.

It meant pro-Palestine MPs have effectively become the sixth largest party in the Commons, on par with Reform UK and the DUP, and outranking the Greens and Plaid Cymru.

In an interview with ITV News on Tuesday morning, Sir Keir was asked if he was concerned about losing support in areas with a high Muslim population, and whether he accepted that there was “a problem with the relationship between the Labour Party and British Muslims” at the moment.

He replied: “The first thing I’d say is this, that very many people voted Labour in that general election who have never voted Labour before, so we now hold seats in parts of the country that have never had a Labour MP. So this is an incredibly strong mandate.

“Of course, wherever we weren’t able to secure votes I am concerned about that, but this is a clear mandate for change, for renewal, for a different way of doing politics and a return of politics to service.

“The days of self-entitlement and self-interest are over, and I’m really pleased to put a strong team on the pitch.”

Pressed on the issue of trust with British Muslims, he said: “Well, we’ve got a strong mandate, of course where we didn’t secure the votes we’ll address that. But I don’t think there’s any disputing the strength of the mandate that we have.”

Responding to the clip on social media, Ms Begum accused Sir Keir of failing to acknowledge the problem at hand.

She said: “This is an awful response from Keir and lacks any acknowledgement of the need to build trust amongst British Muslims who feel that Labour has let them down.

“[Labour’s] position on Gaza – especially Starmer’s infamous comments about Israel’s right to cut off electricity to Gaza – came up over and over again during the election across the country and clearly lost Labour votes.

“There is no doubt that lots of voters have serious concerns about Starmer’s record on Gaza, Islamophobia and migration, amongst a number of other issues. This was an opportunity for Keir to assure British Muslims he was listening. An opportunity ignored.”

Mish Rahman, a member of the National Executive Committee, Labour’s ruling body, also shared the clip, claiming that “Starmer doesn’t care about Muslims”.

The conflict in the Middle East has proved divisive for Labour, with Sir Keir facing criticism for his initial refusal to back a ceasefire.

He also came under fire for suggesting in an LBC interview last year that Israel had the right to cut off food, water and electricity to Gaza – comments that he later insisted were misinterpreted.

One of Labour’s biggest shocks on election night was Jonathan Ashworth, the party’s former shadow paymaster general, losing his seat to the Independent candidate Shockat Adam, who declared “this is for the people of Gaza” after being elected the MP for Leicester South.

Another Independent, Ayoub Khan, who won in Birmingham Perry Barr, had previously quit the Liberal Democrats after appearing to question the Oct 7 massacre and refusing to go on an anti-Semitism training course.