Of all the issues being discussed and debated among voters in the lead-up to local elections, there is one that has taken precedence for some residents of the West Yorkshire borough of Kirklees: the conflict in Gaza.
This week’s votes are predicted to bring damaging results for Rishi Sunak – whose personal ratings have reached a record low.
But despite Labour’s anticipated gains, there are concerns that the controversy surrounding Keir Starmer’s stance on the conflict, particularly his initial refusal to call for a ceasefire in the region, could cost the party support in the polling booth.
Some residents in the market town of Huddersfield expressed how important issues for the local community, such as the state of the local high street and roads, will be overshadowed by events in the Middle East.
Sabahat Karim, an imam at the mosque, said he is having “double thoughts” on who he intends to vote for, “especially considering what’s happening in Palestine and how different parties have reacted to it”.
Aamir Shahzad, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Huddersfield, added: “[Voters] are paying for all this council tax, bin collection, and they obviously want them to be looked after. But, at the same time, in everybody’s mind the hot topic is the war and people are looking for peace in society.”
The conflict in Gaza began in the aftermath of the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on 7 October, when about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Israel responded to the attack with a military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 people so far – mainly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Cllr Ammar Anwar, who represents Dewsbury West on Kirklees council, is one of dozens of Labour councillors who have quit the party due to the leadership’s stance on the conflict.
Speaking to the Guardian, Anwar said voters are prioritising the conflict in the Middle East in this year’s elections. “I do think the Labour party has always been a home for the Muslim community but I think the Muslim community now feel politically homeless,” he said. “I think, come Friday when the results are announced, not just here in Kirklees but in the majority of the Muslim areas around Britain, I think Keir Starmer is in for a shock.”
Anwar said he was “bombarded” with messages on social media after Keir Starmer stated Israel “has the right” to withhold power and water from Gaza in an interview after the Hamas attacks in October on LBC.
Starmer has sought to clarify his comments that Israel had a “right to self-defence”, but that did not mean it should withhold humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since then, the Labour party’s position has changed with the leadership calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the region.
For some inclined to vote Conservative, the conflict has had an equally influential effect.
“I vote Conservative but because of the war, that has definitely altered my opinion,” said Alliya Ahmed, a business owner and president of the women’s association at the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Huddersfield. “No one has spoken out as they should have spoken out like in previous wars. No one has taken a stand or stood up for Palestine.”
Ahmed’s mother, Nasira Umer, 69, echoed her daughter’s concerns: “They know how many children and how many women and how many people have been killed in the past few months and what have they done for them? Nothing.”
Some local residents, who said they intend to vote in this year’s local election, expressed hopes that issues such as fly tipping and the decline of nightlife will be addressed in the area.
One local, Ms Ashness, said she felt “disenfranchised” from politics and was not planning to vote at all. “I can’t believe anything they say to me any more, which is quite bad,” she said. “I’m 66, I’ve been voting since I was 18 and it’s the first time I won’t have voted. That’s how bad I feel about it.”
Marc Kershaw, an employee at Vinyl Tap Records, echoed Ashness’ sentiments. “I used to years and years ago pay more attention but these days I’m kind of very bored of it all, not just in local but national,” he said. ”Nothing appeals to me, everybody speaks the same.”
A spokesperson for Labour said: “Keir has always said that we won’t take a single voter for granted. We will work hard to earn every vote and secure the trust of communities.
“In the UK, we will continue work with the Muslim community to show our support, recognise its contribution, and to tackle rising Islamophobia. And internationally, we will not let up on our calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on the flow of aid to alleviate the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.”
