Labour anxiety and accusations after big shift in Muslim vote to Greens

"The Greens were doing a lot of stuff with the mosques, persuading people there they were best placed to defeat Reform. When progressive voters were looking for a party to coalesce around, persuading the networks in the Muslim community that you were the party best placed to win made a huge difference."

"Their divisive, sectarian politics is a sign that the Greens are not the harmless environmentalists they pretend to be. Labour and Reform UK have accused the Greens of playing sectarian politics, highlighting the party's use of the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in campaign materials and its endorsement by George Galloway."

"Labour has traditionally relied heavily on Muslim voters. Shortly before the last election, a poll by Savanta found that nearly two-thirds of the UK's nearly 4 million Muslims intended to vote Labour. Since the election, anger at the party's stance on Gaza has been exacerbated by fury at its approach to immigration."

The Green Party's unexpectedly strong performance in Gorton and Denton, led by Hannah Spencer, has triggered significant political concern in Westminster. A substantial shift of Muslim voters from Labour to the Greens delivered this victory. Labour and Reform UK have criticized the Greens for sectarian politics, citing their use of Narendra Modi in campaign materials and endorsement by George Galloway. However, Labour insiders acknowledge the Greens have successfully built an effective political machine, particularly through mosque engagement and community networks. Labour has historically relied heavily on Muslim voters, with pre-election polls showing nearly two-thirds of UK Muslims intended to vote Labour. Since the election, Muslim voter dissatisfaction has grown due to Labour's Gaza stance and immigration policies, with particular criticism directed at Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

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