Labour set to lose 'God-given right' in Birmingham heartlands: Starmer faces wipeout in local elections as support for pro-Palestine candidates soars

Published: 17:09, 25 April 2026 | Updated: 17:25, 25 April 2026 Labour is set to lose control of Birmingham in the local elections because of the popularity of pro-Palestine independent candidates. It means Britain's second largest city is on course to become what some experts say would be a 'microcosm of what we could see in 2029' after a general election. Former Labour MP for Dudley North Lord Austin said it was a 'disaster' that 'sectarian politics' had 'poisoned community relations in the city'. Labour has dominated the city since 1984 but has also lost ground because of the antics of the Labour-run city council which has effectively bankrupted the city. Its much publicised bin strike is now more than a year old with litter still piling up in the streets. In 2022, Labour won 65 seats out of 101 on the city council but now about 40 pro-Palestinian independents are standing - with many on course to win, emboldened by the Green Party's win in Gorton and Denton in Manchester after campaigning on a pro-Gaza ticket. Many of the traditionally Labour wards they are standing in have huge Muslim populations, like Small Heath which is 86 per cent Muslim and Alum Rock which is 84 per cent Muslim. Villa Park constituency where a national extremism debate erupted after Jewish Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from attending a game last November at Villa Park Stadium is nearly three quarters Muslim. Former Labour MP for Dudley North Lord Austin said it was a 'disaster' that 'sectarian politics' had 'poisoned community relations' in Birmingham Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, pictured at the National Farmers' Union conference in Birmingham in February 2023, is facing mounting pressure ahead of the May 7 local elections Lawyer Akhmed Yakoob, co-founder of the pro Gaza Independent Candidates Alliance, said Labour had taken Muslim votes 'for granted for decades'. He said the Muslim community in the city had voted en masse for Labour for years because their 'elders and members of their family told them to'. He said: 'This is the first time ever in my lifetime I've seen Labour have an uphill battle in the inner-city areas. It was like it was their God-given right to get the votes. But not anymore.' His co-founder property developer Shakeel Afsar led a campaign against a Birmingham primary school where pupils were given books featuring cross-dressing children and gay families. Mr Afsar said local elections were about local issues but said he and others were just trying to 'defend their community' which was '99.9 per cent Muslim or ethnic minority'. 'These people are concerned about what the Labour Party is doing on an international level. So then we have to push that narrative,' he told the Telegraph. He also warned Muslim voters would not vote for the Greens like they had in Manchester if they were honest that they believed a 'six-foot man with a penis and testicles is a woman' or that they backed the legalisation of drugs. IT project manager Harris Khaliq, an independent candidate for Ward End, where three quarters are Muslim, claimed Palestine was not the 'sole purpose of his campaign'. Lawyer Akhmed Yakoob (pictured in May 2024), co-founder of the pro Gaza Independent Candidates Alliance, said Labour had taken Muslim votes 'for granted for decades' But speaking as he handed out 'stickers for Palestine' to young primary schoolchildren, he said: 'I speak about it, I pray for it, and I care about it very, very dearly.' Defending handing out such propaganda to young children by saying they 'connected' to what had happened in Gaza, he said: 'There's people at such a delicate age growing up seeing a genocide and hearing about genocide. 'You've seen children as a young age of six or seven, how they are running towards stickers for Palestine, because that's how much they connect to it. 'It was a driving factor around Manchester, and it's a driving factor in Birmingham. The people care about Palestine, the people care about local issues. Both are significant.' In 2023, the debt-ridden city council hit rock-bottom after a series of crises and government commissioners were sent in to manage its finances. In a deeply unpopular move with locals, the city council had been authorised by the government to levy an extra ten per cent on council tax for two years to try and offset a staggering £760million, much of it caused by mismanagement. The city's small Jewish community of about 2,000 has been left feeling increasingly alienated and under threat with security heightened since the pro Gaza movement escalated. Jewish entrepreneur Simone Schehtman voiced fears that Gaza would dominate council meetings rather than important local issues if such independent councillors were in power which would be 'intimidating and threatening to Jewish communities'. Labour has dominated England's second city Birmingham since 1984 - pictured is the council headquarters in the central Victoria Square He said: 'This is not a place that you would now want to be building a family or coming in. 'It's not only nothing to do with Birmingham, it's pretty much got nothing to do with the UK.' The vote in the city is also likely to see gains by Reform UK and the Conservatives in some areas. Tony Travers, from the London School of Economics, says Birmingham could become 'a political patchwork quilt' to prove a 'microcosm' of how Britain would look in 2029. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.