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Leanne Mohamad (born c. September 2000) is a British-Palestinian activist who ran as an independent candidate in the constituency of Ilford North in the 2024 general election, against the Labour Party incumbent and then Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting. She ran in protest against Labour's stance on the Israel-Hamas war and the Gaza humanitarian crisis.[1]

While she was not elected, Streeting's unexpectedly narrow margin of victory provoked media and political attention, especially in the context of the simultaneous victory of several independent candidates against Labour running on platforms critical of the party's response to the conflict.[2][3][4]

Biography

Leanne Mohamad was born in September 2000 and was raised in Ilford, East London, by Palestinian parents.[5][6]

In 2016, while a 15 year-old student of Wanstead High School, she gave a speech on the plight faced by Palestinians for the Jack Petchey Foundation's "Speak Out" Challenge. She won the Redbridge borough final, but faced online harassment and accusations of blood libel after the video of her speech was published online. In response, the Foundation's Speakers Trust briefly removed the video from their YouTube channel citing safeguarding concerns, before reinstating it after consulting with her family. Wes Streeting, in his capacity as the local MP for Ilford North, condemned the abuse and argued that her speech could not be considered antisemitic.[7][8]

2024 election campaign

Ilford North, the seat she ran against Wes Streeting in

Following the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the Gaza humanitarian crisis in October 2023, Mohamad, then a member of the Labour Party, gave up her membership in protest of comments made by Labour leader Keir Starmer that Israel had the right to cut off power and water supplies to the Gaza Strip.[9]

In January 2024, Mohamad was selected by the Redbridge Community Action Group (RCAG) to stand as a prospective independent candidate against Streeting in Ilford North for the upcoming general election. This came following local controversy and backlash regarding Streeting's response to the conflict, along with national criticism of Starmer's previous comments.[10][11] While Mohamad split from RCAG in April as a result of internal disputes, the group continued to endorse her.[12][13]

Mohamad's campaign was endorsed, along with many other independent candidates, by the pressure group The Muslim Vote.[14] Her campaign received significant media coverage, and was mentioned in the context of disillusionment with the Labour Party among British Muslims.[9][13][15][16] Her campaign also focused on issues such as the National Health Service (NHS), housing, and improving access to public services.[15][16]

In the election, Mohamad was defeated by Streeting on a margin of 528 votes, equating to a lead of only 1.1 percentage points.[17] After the election, she accused Starmer of "burying his head in the sand" in response to Labour losses to other pro-Gaza independent candidates, such as Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan.[18] The Muslim Vote identified Ilford North as one of a number of seats where running a single unified candidate on a left-wing or pro-Gaza platform, potentially involving an alignment with opposition parties such as the Greens, could have deprived Labour of a victory.[19]

References

  1. ^ Mulla, Imran (2024-07-05). "UK election 2024: British-Palestinian Leanne Mohamad narrowly loses to Labour's Wes Streeting". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Pro-Gaza candidates dent Labour's UK election victory". Reuters. 2024-07-05.
  3. ^ "Pro-Gaza candidates squeeze Labour vote in some constituencies". BBC News. 2024-07-05.
  4. ^ Tahir, Tariq (2024-07-07). "Leanne Mohamed supporters hope for more after giving Labour cabinet minister scare". The National.
  5. ^ Rickett, Oscar (2024-06-21). "Leanne Mohamad: Could anger over Gaza topple a Labour heavyweight?". Middle East Eye.
  6. ^ "Leanne MOHAMAD personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  7. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (2016-06-07). "London schoolgirl targeted with 'appalling' online abuse after winning competition with pro-Palestinian speech". The Independent.
  8. ^ Farand, Chloe (2016-06-01). "Wanstead schoolgirl Leanne Mohamad speaks out after 'vile abuse' from trolls for pro-Palestinian speech". Ilford Recorder.
  9. ^ a b Gohil, Neha (2024-06-25). "'People feel very betrayed': the British Palestinian out to unseat Labour's Wes Streeting in Ilford". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Carter, Rob (2024-01-16). "Palestinian candidate to battle Labour's Wes Streeting in Ilford North". 5Pillars.
  11. ^ Keane, Daniel (2024-01-16). "Pro-Palestinian activist to run against Wes Streeting in election for Ilford North". The Standard.
  12. ^ "Palestine activist's bid to unseat Wes Streeting is rocked by bitter campaign rift". Jewish News. 2024-04-18.
  13. ^ a b Javed, Saman (2024-06-19). "Independent candidate Leanne Mohamad — Gaza has been an awakening for a new wave of politics". Hyphen.
  14. ^ "Who Should I Vote For?". The Muslim Vote. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  15. ^ a b Frayer, Lauren (2024-07-01). "Anger over the Gaza war fuels independent candidates in U.K. election". NPR.
  16. ^ a b Yousra Samir, Imran (2024-06-25). "'A vote for Labour or Tory is a vote for genocide': Leanne Mohamad seeks to steer UK Parliament towards anti-apartheid policies". The New Arab.
  17. ^ "General Election 2024 results". London Borough of Redbridge. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  18. ^ Khan, Shehab (2024-07-09). "Starmer accused of 'awful response' on Labour's relationship with British Muslims". ITV News. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  19. ^ "Muslim election campaign group calls for united alliance in future UK elections". 2024-07-11.
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