Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Batley and Spen byelection: Muslim voters hold key to Labour's future

HAVING suffered a humiliating byelection defeat in Hartlepool last month, a Labour heartland - the pressure is now on the party and Sir Keir Starmer to deliver in Batley and Spen byelection.

In a town where the south Asian community makes up most of the population, it is a close fight and Labour could - according to some reports - lose the seat, once held by Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016.


Labour won Batley and Spen in the 2019 general election with a majority of just 3,525 votes, a constituency where Muslim voters are in the majority.

The party has pinned its hopes on Kim Leadbeater, the younger sister of Cox, who was fatally stabbed by a white supremacist in the constituency in 2016.

The July 1 byelection was triggered after the resignation of Labour’s Tracy Brabin after she was elected as West Yorkshire metro mayor last month.

A report in The Sunday Times (6) suggests Muslim votes could decide the fate of Leadbeater. While historically the community has voted Labour, that support appears to be dwindling this time round, according to the report. Some south Asian voters told the paper they blamed Sir Keir's inability to take a stand on international issues and, also, taking their vote bank for granted for years.

Muslim communities have also reportedly been angered by the Labour leader's "on-the-fence” approach on the Israel and Palestine issue during the recent Gaza raids. Despite Sir Keir taking a tough stance on anti-Semitism, some still feel he has not been that vocal in condemning Islamophobia.

Apparent failure to handle local issues also appears to have damaged the reputation of the Labour Party, such as the incident in March where a teacher was suspended from Batley Grammar School for showing a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson.

The local community feels the party failed to show leadership over the incident as the Muslim community of Batley disagreed with the teacher’s actions, and said there was a lack of a measured approach.

“I was a Labour man,” one of Galloway’s supporters, businessman Taf Hussain, 40, was quoted as saying. “Our parents voted Labour, we voted Labour, but unfortunately Labour’s changed its direction, and Labour is not the voice of the people any more.”

The Sunday Times also noted that there was discontent over the selection of candidates, as the party waived its membership rules to allow Leadbeater to stand ahead of two local councillors from the south Asian community, who did not make the shortlist.

Populist candidate George Galloway appears to be making inroads in the community. Having been exiled from Labour almost two decades ago, he is a vocal supporter of Palestine and has been a critic of the Iraq war.

“I really don’t have to do terribly well to make sure Labour lose this seat,” Galloway was quoted as saying.

Leadbeater, meanwhile, has been trying to win over Asian voters during her campaign trail.

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less