Everything was supposed to be completely different. Labor had been doing well in the polls and had predicted an easy victory in the Rochdale by-election. Then the Gaza war broke out, and Muslim voters began to turn against the party. Then political activist George Galloway came along and tried to capture these votes. And finally, more bad news came. A Labor candidate's comments in Rochdale have been leaked, leading to an altercation over antisemitism. Parliament-elect Azhar Ali has apologized for his own “offensive” comments in which he said Israel condoned the October 7 massacre. But then new leaks emerged and Labor finally withdrew its support for him.
Now Keir Starmer once again finds himself having to defend his party against claims that it is soft on anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, candidates whose party has withdrawn support remain on the ballot as independents because it is too late to remove them. At the same time, former Labor MP Simon Danczuk, who was suspended over a sex scandal, is seeking re-election as a reformist candidate. Green Party MPs also withdrew after comments about the Gaza war and Muslims.
Helen Pitt covers the election and speaks to the people of Rochdale about this chaotic political process.she tells Nosheen Iqbal How voters feel and what really matters to them.
Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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