We warned Labour over Gaza, says British-Palestinian election candidate Leanne Mohamad

The National goes on the campaign trail with the independent contender confident of pulling off an upset

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Leanne Mohamad knocks on a car's window and asks if she can “count on your support”.

In a response she could not have stage-managed better, the man in the passenger seat whips out one of her general election campaign leaflets and gives a big smile of approval.

Ms Mohamad is pounding the streets of Ilford North to gain support in the east London constituency where she is standing as an independent candidate against the Labour Party's Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary.

The British-Palestinian is one of a number of independents running against Labour candidates in constituencies where there are a significant number of Muslims, galvanised by anger at the party’s stance on Gaza.

The refusal by party leader Keir Starmer to back an unconditional ceasefire, and a radio interview in which he appeared to suggest it was acceptable for Israel to withhold power and water from the territory, has meant one in five Muslim voters are set to turn away from the party, polling shows.

About four in five UK Muslims voted for Labour in the 2019 general election.

Seeing hundreds of thousands of people marching gives us hope because people haven’t forgotten about us

Leanne Mohamad

Ms Mohamad, who grew up in the area, has come to prominence as a regular speaker at the pro-Palestinian marches that have been taking place in central London since the Israeli incursion into Gaza following the Hamas attack of October 7.

“As a British-Palestinian, Gaza has resonated hugely,” she told The National.

“What's happened is something that's unforgivable. We told Labour, we warned them that we would hold them accountable at the ballot box. Labour has absolutely abandoned us and betrayed our views on Gaza.”

But while Gaza has been the catalyst for her campaign, she is also bringing issues such as the National Health Service, poverty and a lack of opportunities for young people into play. The aim is to attract traditional Labour voters, as the party nationally has moved to the centre in a bid to defeat the Conservative Party government of Rishi Sunak.

On a rainy evening, The National caught up with Ms Mohamad’s campaign as she walked the streets of her constituency, knocking on doors and handing out leaflets.

Leaning down to smile at a baby, then posing for a selfie with a passer-by, the 23-year-old seems to have an ease in dealing with strangers that belies her short time in politics.

Leanne Mohamad attends a rally over the war in Gaza. Alamy

“Nobody can deny Gaza has brought about an awakening but my community is suffering and I’ve seen that as a youth worker and as a food bank volunteer,” she said.

“I've seen working people, families and pensioners, who are all struggling to make ends meet. So I’m standing on a number of issues, not just Gaza.”

Turning her attention to Mr Streeting, she said: “What I've been hearing from people is that he has been locally invisible, not in the area, he has not represented their views.”

Mr Streeting, who is from London and went to Cambridge University, has held the seat since 2015. The party’s health spokesman has a high national profile as he promises to reform and save the “broken NHS”. But he is also part of a front bench suffering a backlash over Gaza.

“When many people implored him to vote for a ceasefire [in Gaza], he refused,” she said, referring to the House of Commons motion held in November in which a number of Labour MPs rebelled against the party's official stance.

“He's also the shadow health secretary and many local doctors I've been speaking to here in Ilford North are very worried about the future of our NHS in the hands of Labour.”

The constituency has a Muslim population of 23 per cent, which puts it outside the top 20 seats with the highest number of Muslims.

Ms Mohamad insists her campaign is aimed at “all faiths and none”.

The seat is on the fringes of London, where the cultural melting pot of the city meets the more suburban areas of the county of Essex.

With city dwellers traditionally leaning towards Labour, and those further out backing the Conservatives, the seat has swung between the two parties since it came into being in 1945.

Ms Mohamad, whose grandparents were forced out of their homes in the city of Haifa in 1948 and made refugees, is a graduate of King’s College London. She worked in human rights and policy advocacy but has put that on hold for the general election campaign.

She was first in the public eye back in 2016 when, aged 15, a video of her giving a winning speech in a public speaking competition was taken down after she was accused of “vicious blood libels against the state of Israel”.

She told the story of her one-year-old refugee cousin, who had not been given treatment for severe heart disease “because he was Palestinian”, and then died.

Ms Mohamad says what is happening now in Gaza has parallels with what her grandparents experienced.

“My grandparents never thought they would see something like this in their lives, it’s worse than 1948,” she said.

“I think that's why now, for us it's a huge shock. Seeing hundreds of thousands of people marching gives us hope because people haven’t forgotten about us. But at the same time there’s absolutely no words for what’s happening.”

Knocking on doors, she seems to have a fan in the shape of Salim Patel, whose family come with him to greet her.

“We used to support the Labour Party but Palestine is a big issue,” he told The National, while holding a campaign poster to stick in his window.

Men in a car reveal they are supporters of Leanne Mohamad. The National

“I’ve heard her speak before, outside the town hall, and I was very impressed. I’ve told her guys I can volunteer.”

At a separate address, Ammara Patel, 23, is another disillusioned voter who says she will also be supporting Ms Mohamad.

“The Labour Party is no longer the Labour Party, their views have changed too dramatically,” she said.

But it’s not all plain sailing and one man who she stops in the street puts her on the spot about her views, in a frosty but friendly encounter.

“What’s the top three things you will do if you get in, without looking at that,” said the man, who declined to be identified, pointing to the leaflet.

“Giving our community a voice in Westminster,” she replies before he cuts her off with a sarcastic: “That’s your biggest thing?”

Both smiling, the pair spar as the man talks about wanting better access to his doctor, dismissing her answers as “generic”.

Eventually he concedes that he’s “convinced that you have everything good in mind” and “you're doing it for the right reason”.

“But my objection to generally voting for independents is, they're very limited in what they can achieve,” he tells her.

Matthew Simpson, former Labour member who is campaigning for Leanne Mohamad, and his dog Jeremy. The National

Ultimately the pair agree to disagree but it’s a reminder that candidates sometimes need a thick skin as well as ideas.

Back at the home of her local organiser, volunteers out canvassing had earlier gathered to be briefed about what to say on the doorstep.

Matthew Simpson, 32, was a former Labour Party member who quit over what he said was its “disgusting” handling of Gaza.

He was there with his dog Jeremy, named in honour the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was suspended and then expelled from the party after choosing to run as an independent against its official candidate in north London.

“I first saw Leanne when I was at the protests in central London and she’s an amazing speaker so I was really impressed,” he told The National.

“I love her story. She’s part of the community and volunteered at the local youth centre.”

Ms Mohamad appears to be relishing the campaigning and despite the odds insists she can pull off what would be a seismic political upset.

“I’m actually really enjoying it. We’re hoping to win and I’m putting 100 per cent effort into winning,” she said.