by Tom Scotson, Telegraph
Reform may be the subject Labour would rather discuss, but a much more pernicious force is ready to eat its lunch
After a campaign and a court challenge by Reform UK, Keir Starmer’s government was forced into possibly its biggest about-turn to date: abandoning plans to delay local elections in England.
Voters in 30 local authorities will now go to the ballot box in May after Labour reversed its decision to postpone them until 2027, representing another climbdown by the Prime Minister.
The unrelenting focus in the past few days has been on how Nigel Farage’s party stands to gain from elections being fought in Labour’s industrial heartlands.
The untold story, however, is the wave of sectarian challengers this will unleash across England. It represents a growing challenge to Labour’s voting coalition not just over the next election cycle, but over the next two to three decades.
The Muslim population has increased by 1.16 million within a decade and is continuing to rise, according to the Muslim Council of Britain. As the population grows, families are dispersing across the country, opening the door of more independent candidates over the next set of local and national elections.
At the 2024 election, with no strategic oversight, four Gaza Independents won their seats against Labour incumbents on the back of disgust from progressive activists and minorities towards the party’s position on the war in Gaza. Across England, we are now beginning to see the roots of a more developed campaign which threatens Labour’s future.
The consequences will likely be profound. Millions of people’s council tax and public services will potentially be run by candidates running on religious lines.
Read also: Greens’ Urdu campaign video signals turn towards sectarianism by Chris Bayliss, UnHerd