Reflection on UK Electoral Politics and the Muslim Community

Some thoughts on my meetings with local groups

A meeting I attended in Slough on Friday

(This piece is relevant to UK Muslims but may be of interest to other Western Muslims)

I met with an organised and focused group yesterday from Slough with my good friend and election data guru Riaz. We reflected on the UK July election and how the community group flipped a safe Labour seat into a marginal, nearing a political upset. It was this time last year that I met this community group for the first time, and at that time, there was a lot of scepticism towards breaking free of the Labour consensus and employing an independent strategy. Yet within months, the community unified and came out to organise and vote for a local who would serve local people and not party interests. They came very close to overturning one of Labour’s strongest seats.

I have now held many such meetings in cities and towns across the country, and there is no end of an appetite to take on the electoral powers that have long held back our communities. There’s a lot still to reflect on and analyse, but here are some initial notes and thoughts:

1. The July election campaigns have given birth to a new set of community leaders. Until now, in the political space, at least, there has been a disproportionate exposure given to those handpicked by the main parties, who received party patronage to become gatekeepers for our community. Many of them harbour personal interests over communal goals, and the Labour Party, in particular, chose them to suppress and corral. They utilised the baradari (tribal) block vote in exchange for small privileges afforded to a few. The new organisers are professionals who have reached a point where they want to give something back to the community. I have had the fortune to meet many of these teams, and something truly exceptional is happening nationwide.

   However, it’s worth noting that, still, apart from a few areas, this group is overwhelmingly male and middle-aged. More has to be done to involve women and, crucially, younger voters in the independent movement.

2. We must improve our organisational capabilities. With Gaza as the backdrop, communities across the country could achieve so much with so little - we gained five independent MPs (a post-war record) and had eight near wins. But as everyone tells me, the surprise election results were won despite running unprofessional campaigns. The key to winning is to have an organised local machine. We need to think about how to develop good-quality election campaigns at a local level.

   A suggestion that kept coming up on my visits was to pool our collective knowledge and develop a bank of volunteers. Many in the Muslim community remain reticent to knock on doors and canvass and generally lack the political and cultural capital to advocate for our political cause. There is also a need to share vital operational capacity, like digital marketing, design and campaign management. Such capacity requires the community to finance and help grassroots organising.

3. Many on the Left have shown they are unreliable partners. I am still surprised at how many were willing to show deference to and join parties like the Workers Party. Not only did they fail (predictably) to win a single seat, they attempted to browbeat and cajole the community to support their inadequate candidates, handpicked by George Galloway. Galloway has once again exposed himself over Syria. This was clear to me and others long ago, and I have long argued for political independence. Many (not all) on the political left have an agenda that does not conform to our ambitions and values and, in many ways, act like the two main political parties in their disdain for local authentic voices.

   The data is self-evident - there are around 25 constituencies across England where an independent can win. And the left does not have organisation, capabilities or traction in any of these places. That is not to say we should never form coalitions. Still, we have to move away from the belief that we can only make political change with the approval and involvement of the left. I will not mince my words; many I have worked with have a sense of entitlement and superiority that belies their abject political failure. Out of dozens of left candidates, only Jeremy Corbyn won his seat, and that was because of his own peculiar circumstances. I understand the left is looking to establish, yet again, a political party. I would strongly urge local groups to resist joining this. They have proven their inadequacies time and time again.

4. Local unity is key. This is by far a lesson I think many have learnt. The problem remains that many political groupings have emerged at a local level. And in some cases, they do not talk to one another. In Birmingham, there was a failure to unify the community behind one candidate, and that is why, in many constituencies, we cancelled each other out. We need to talk to one another. Council elections in 2026 will be a test. These groupings cannot see politics as a zero-sum game; rather, there needs to be negotiation and compromise.

   I would add that having one political entity at the local level is unnecessary and probably unrealistic. But we have to have meaningful cooperation and not split votes.

5. The recent MRP poll tells us that the Labour Party would lose nearly 200 seats if an election were held today. That makes it very plausible that the next parliament may be a hung parliament, with no overal control. At the moment, independents are finding it difficult to find a voice, understandably, because Labour commands a massive majority. However, with the prospect of a minority government, our political voice will carry. Include the prospect of a Reform Party splitting the Labour and Conservative vote, we may find the next election to be far more favourable.

In short, we can be an electoral force in the UK. However, we must think carefully about our organisation, build collective resources, cooperate meaningfully, and professionalise our campaigns. I am stil not sure how we are going to do this. But I invite better minds to contact me to discuss financing, organising and delivering an independent community voice.