Leanne Mohamed supporters hope for more after giving Labour cabinet minister scare

British-Palestinian candidate with no political experience came within 500 votes of defeating Wes Streeting in east London seat

Leanne Mohamad speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally in central London. Alamy

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The large sign with the ‘Leanne Mohamad for Ilford North’ written on it leaves no doubt about who Imran Ibrahim backed at the general election.

Mr Ibrahim’s support for Ms Mohamad helped propel the 23-year-old British-Palestinian to within 528 votes of defeating the UK’s new Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, in the east London constituency.

Pulling off what would have been one of Britain’s biggest-ever political shocks was nearly achieved by an independent candidate with no political experience, against the sitting MP who has held the seat since 2015 and had the backing of a well-funded Labour campaigning machine.

Ms Mohamad’s grandparents were forced out of their homes in the city of Haifa in 1948 and the catalyst for her standing was the Labour Party’s refusal to back an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.

But she also campaigned on issues such as the National Health Service, poverty and a lack of opportunities for young people.

A theme of her campaign and other independents was the claim that Labour, which was backed by four in five UK Muslims in the 2019 general election, was taking the Islamic vote for granted.

Mr Ibrahim, 45, told The National: “Palestine has been a big issue for me and I’ve a Labour supporter over the years but I don’t agree with their stance on it.

“So that was one reason for looking outside but it’s not the only reason. When I looked at Labour’s policies, nothing that’s been going is going to change.”

Ms Mohamad has emphasised her ties to the area, including her work at a local youth centre, with which Mr Ibrahim says he also has connections.

Irman Ibrahim standing in front of a placard showing his support for Leanne Mohamad in Ilford. Tariq Tahir / The National

“I backed her because she’s local and she talked well and was in it for all the right reasons,” he explained.

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

Despite her lack of experience, The National found her a confident campaigner who appeared to be winning over voters on the doorstep when seeing her at first hand.

Mr Ibrahim says another reason for backing her was the lacklustre campaign run by Mr Streeting.

“To be honest, I’ve not seen any Labour canvassers in over her so why should I back someone who hasn’t made the effort to come and speak to me?” he said.

Mr Ibrahim says he believes the new Health Secretary was lucky the general election did not take place in winter when the cold weather may have reduced the number of voters turning out to cast their ballot.

“He’s lucky the election was held now, otherwise he might not have made it,” he said.

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

The general election featured a number of pro-Palestinian candidates win seats as members of Britain's new Labour government suffered a startling loss of support in heavily Muslim areas.

A poster of Leanne Mohamad in the window of Cluckers fried chicken shop in Ilford, east London. Tariq Tahir / The National

Labour was beaten in north London by its pro-Palestinian former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who ran as an independent after being exiled by his replacement at the Labour helm Mr Starmer.

The Ilford North 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.

The main shopping street by the station reflects the cultural diversity where Romanian and other eastern European shops sit cheek by jowl with South Asian eateries and London’s ubiquitous fried chicken shops.

One such establishment, Cluckers, is owned by Hussein Shah, who has a poster of Leanne Mohamad in his window, one of many on the street.

“She did well and it was good to see. It wasn’t just Palestine, I just wanted to see change,” he said.

A few doors down at Harri Drycleaners, owner Imran Ali told The National he had also backed Ms Mohamad.

“She was a good candidate who came across really well and felt like the right one,” said the 46-year-old.

“She worked very hard and was out and about in the constituency. It didn’t seem to me that Wes Streeting was putting the work in, really.”

Imran Ali says he voted for Leanne Mohamad. Tariq Tahir / The National

Fowjia Popy, a Labour supporter, agreed Mr Streeting’s campaign was lacklustre as she discussed the election with her friends outside a pharmacist.

“We never saw him and we didn’t even get a leaflet. I voted for him but he was lucky to win,” she said.

Ms Mohamad worked in human rights and policy advocacy but put that on hold for the general election campaign.

She first appeared 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.

Ms Mohamad has not had it all her own way and there are some who are sceptical about what she could have achieved as MP.

“Gaza is a massive issue for me but what would Leanne Mohamad have brought to the table?” said Lyndon Reid, 55, who voted for Mr Streeting.