Top Labour pair lose seats in Gaza backlash

LABOUR might have won a landslide victory, but there were huge upsets for some candidates who faced pro-Palestine independents.

- Rachael Burford

Five candidates who stood on pro-Gaza platforms won seats as the Muslim vote for Labour appeared to collapse.

In the most shocking toppling, shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat in Leicester South.

Shockat Adam, an independent who had focused his campaigning on Palestine, dramatically defeated the man who would have been paymaster general.

Mr Ashworth was unseated by fewer than 1,000 votes. He had been a familiar face on Labour’s election campaign trail.

Following the result Mr Ashworth, who won a majority of more than 22,000 votes in 2019, said: “It’s very disappointing, but that’s democracy. The most important thing is that Labour is heading into government.”