MUSLIM voters hold the balance of power in knife-edge election
From the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in Uxbridge and South Ruislip to former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, in Chingford and Woodford Green, there are several marginals where Muslim voters could well hold the balance of power.
In data released by Muslim advocacy organisation, MEND, the results of up to 50 seats across the country could be swung by Muslim voters. These include Kensington in London (majority of 20, from previous election), Dewsbury in West Yorkshire (majority of 3,321), and Pendle in Lancashire (majority of 1,279) amongst others. 50 seats in a ‘hung parliament’ could prove critical.
Some of the previous MPs that held marginal seats have a track record of engaging in or endorsing Islamophobic sentiments or conduct. These include:
- Zac Goldsmith (PPC for Richmond Park, majority of 45) was accused of running an Islamophobic campaign against Sadiq Khan in the 2016 Mayoral race.
- Bob Blackman (PPC for Harrow East, majority of 1757) was accused of endorsing Islamophobia after posting an anti-Muslim article on his Facebook page in 2018.
- Henry Smith (PPC for Crawley, majority of 2457) who faced criticism after suggesting that there was no Islamophobia in the Conservative Party due to Sajid Javid being a Muslim
The ‘Muslim manifesto’ produced by MEND has a series of Policy Pledges relating to issues such tackling Islamophobic bullying in our schools, ending Islamophobic discrimination in the workplace and reducing hate crime on our streets. MEND’s 2019 Muslim manifesto can be found here.
MEND has approached each of the main political parties and asked them which of the Policy Pledges they will sign up to. It is expected that the Party supporting the greatest number of pledges will harness the greatest share of the crucial Muslim vote, especially in swing seats.
MEND CEO, Dr Shazad Amin commented:
“No one can dictate how individuals will vote but it’s clear that many Muslims have strong views on issues such as the growth and normalisation of Islamophobia in the UK. To influence Government policies to tackle this, it is vital that Muslims are engaged in the political process and vote for parties and candidates that support our policy pledges. Our ‘Get Out And Vote’ website helps Muslim voters do this in an informed and intelligent way.”