SHOCK BLAME
Fury as Labour insider blames HAMAS for possible local elections upset in West Midlands
The comment was blasted by senior MPs
A LABOUR row erupted yesterday after party insiders blamed a possible local election upset on Hamas.
One of their own secretly briefed the BBC, suggesting the Tories would hold the West Midlands mayoralty because Muslim voters disagreed with Labour’s stance on the Gaza war.
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A Labour source said: “It’s the Middle East, not the West Midlands, that will have won the mayoralty.
“Once again Hamas are the real villains.”
But the comment was blasted by senior Labour MPs, who called for the secret source to be kicked out of the party immediately.
An official spokesman said: “The Labour Party has strongly condemned this racist quote, which has not come from anyone who is speaking on behalf of the party or whose values are welcome in the party.”
READ MORE ON LOCAL ELECTIONS
The outcry came as leader Sir Keir Starmer admitted his party is haemorrhaging votes among Muslims because of its position on Palestine.
He has spent months avoiding calls for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza.
When Thursday’s votes are counted in the West Midlands, Tory mayor Andy Street could defy expectations and hold his seat — because an independent pro-Palestine candidate has won votes off Labour.
There are jitters among those close to London Mayor Sadiq Khan that the issue has caused a closer contest in the capital than anticipated.
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Polling guru Sir John Curtice said Labour votes are down by eight points since last year in wards where more than 10 per cent of people identify as Muslim.
Labour also lost control of Oldham council in Greater Manchester and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the party will “listen, reflect and learn” from Muslim voters.
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He added on Times Radio: “I am not going to disrespect those voters by pretending we haven’t heard the message.”
On The Sun’s show Never Mind The Ballots, Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth said Green Party campaigners in his home turf of Leicester dished out leaflets with verses of the Koran.
GREEN SHIFT
He added: “They said you should support the Green party because that’s in tune with Islamic values.
“I know from speaking to my own Muslim constituents that there is hurt, there is anger.”
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