UK: Muslim Vote Plays Role In Elections

By Ben Flanagan

Votes by the Muslim community appear to have made a difference in the UK election, a community group has said, noting swings toward the Labour Party in several key areas.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) earlier identified 39 constituencies where votes by the Muslim community may have a high or medium impact.

While members of the council are keen to point out that UK Muslims do not constitute one single group and do not vote as one, they say the community has historically favored the opposition Labour Party.

All 16 constituencies where the influence of Muslim communities was found by the MCB to be “high” are now Labour seats. Five were gained from the Conservatives in Thursday’s election, while Labour strengthened its lead in others.

There were also significant swings toward the Labour Party in many of the 23 constituencies where the MCB determined the impact of Muslim voters as being “medium.”

While Theresa May’s Conservative Party remains the largest party in Parliament following Thursday’s national election in the UK, it lost its majority, with opposition Labour making significant gains.

Harun Khan, secretary general of the MCB, said: “There is no block Muslim vote, nor can we know how Muslims have voted. What we can see, however, is Muslim and (black and minority ethnic) communities, in particular the young, enthused and involved in the political process across the country. In the 39 constituencies where Muslim communities could have had an impact, it appears they have done so.”

He continued: “I would also like to acknowledge and welcome the fact that this election has returned a record number of women. I congratulate them and the Muslims who have retained or joined the House of Commons for the first time. And I congratulate too Parliament’s first Sikh woman and turban-wearing Sikh. All of these are important developments and demonstrates that the British people are ready to elect a diverse range of people who reflect our multicultural society.”

Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the MCB, said before the election that he had expected a higher turnout among Muslim voters.

“This election has invigorated many Muslim communities — many want to get involved, many want to participate, many want to canvass and support one of the parties,” he told Arab News.

“I would not be surprised if the turnout from the communities in this election is higher than it has been previously.”