Leading Labour figure loses seat to independent pro-Palestine candidate

LABOUR'S shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth, who played a prominent role in the party’s media campaign, lost his seat to a pro-Palestine independent candidate.

The senior shadow cabinet member was beaten by Shockat Adam in Leicester South, with 14,739 votes to 13,760.

Adam's policy pledges included protecting the NHS, standing up for global peace and justice and championing affordable housing.

Adam said he would support a ceasefire in Gaza, something which Ashworth had failed to vote for at Westminster.

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Meanwhile in Illford North, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting nearly lost his seat to another independent. Palestinian activist Leanne Mohamad came within a few hundred votes of the senior figure, taking 15,119 to his 15,647. Streeting's vote share was down by 20 points.

In Islington North. ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn dedicated his victory as an independent to the people of his constituency, as he enjoyed sweet success over his former party.

He successfully retained his long-held seat of Islington North in London, beating his Labour rival by more than 7000 votes.

In his victory speech, he claimed his campaign had shown “what kinder, gentler and more sensible, more inclusive politics, can bring about”.

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Later, independent candidate Faiza Shaheen said Labour should be “ashamed” for letting former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith win as she accused the party of splitting the vote in the Chingford and Woodford Green constituency.

Shaheen, who was dropped by Labour after liking a series of posts on social media platform X after being accused of downplaying antisemitism allegations, came third with 12,445 votes behind her former party’s representative Shama Tatler on 12,524 votes.

“I’m so angry that the Labour Party has done this to Chingford & Woodford Green… they have returned Iain Duncan Smith to Westminster and should be ashamed,” she posted to X.

“Our vote was a combination of those appalled by how I was treated, those who took issue with having an imposed candidate who didn’t know us, those who were never going to vote Labour after Starmer’s stance on Gaza, and those that have never voted before.

“Labour split the vote the moment they deselected me.”