A new pro-Gaza party will stand in the next election, issuing a grave warning to a rival Labour MP. ‘Never Forget Gaza’ submitted its registration forms with the Electoral Commission, with Labour’s Shabana Mahmood warned that they won’t forget the way she voted in a controversial ceasefire vote.
According to the Electoral Commission’s register, an application for the party was submitted last week, along with a logo featuring a watermelon, which has become a symbol for Palestine.
The new party’s registration comes after they warned Ms Mahmood that they plan on trying to unseat her in this year’s election.
Ms Mahmood, who has a huge 28,582 majority in her Birmingham Ladywood constituency, has been under sustained fire since she chose to abstain in a Commons vote last November on whether to support a ceasefire in Gaza.
Following the vote, a spokesperson for the new party warned: “We hope to stand a candidate against Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood in the 2024 general election, with one simple message, “Never Forget Gaza’.”
The campaign against the Birmingham MP is now just one of many, as multiple Labour MPs face the prospect of election challenge by single-issue Palestinian candidates.
This week, Wes Streeting was targeted by a “vote for genocide” poster in his east London constituency.
Sharing a photo of an attack ad, the Newham Independents Group said: “Redbridge residents are mounting a campaign to unseat Streeting at the general election 2024”.
Last month independent candidate Leanne Mohamad was announced as a challenger to Mr Streeting in his seat.
Shadow paymaster general Jon Ashworth has also been warned he faces a pro-Palestinian challenge.
According to the Observer this weekend, meetings have taken place in recent days to identify, fund and promote a list of pro-Gaza independent candidates to challenge Labour MPs who refused to back last year’s vote for an immediate ceasefire.
Among those also into the firing line are Bethnal Green MP Rushanara Ali, who faced marches on her constituency office following her failure to vote for a ceasefire last year.
One MP told the paper: “It’s astonishing – I’ve never known this level of funding and organisation”.
“The anger is off the scale. We have to do so much to get those communities back on side. They want to teach the Labour party a lesson.”
A new website, themuslimvote.co.uk, has also been launched, in an attempt to get the Muslim vote to act as one and support those who backed the ceasefire.
They also plan protests against Labour MPs who didn’t during the election campaign.
Pressure will continue to mount, as the SNP have announced they will use their opposition day debate a day before the Rochdale by-election to hold another virtue-signalling vote over whether to support a ceasefire.
Last year’s vote saw 56 Labour MPs defy the party whip, and 10 shadow ministers and PPSs sacked for breaking the party line.
The forthcoming divisive vote will play into the hands of George Galloway, who is hoping to use fractious community tensions in the by-election to return to Parliament.
Labour’s decision to pull party backing for their Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali after his claim that Israel allowed the October 7 massacre to occur has given Mr Galloway his best chance in years of making a triumphant Commons come-back.
