In my view the ‘media’ has seized on the wrong aspect. What Ms Phillips is doing is fighting the next General Election. What should have been a predictably rock-solid majority in her Birmingham Yardley constituency two months ago was nearly wiped out altogether by a newcomer who is a white Muslim convert.
The challenger ignored Phillips’ 2023 ceasefire vote (and her subsequent resignation from Labour’s Opposition front bench) and craftily drew attention to her continuing membership of Labour Friends of Israel:
At the count there were fewer than 700 votes between Phillips and McIntyre.
Admittedly this was on a low turnout, and as a 2022 Parliamentary briefing on political disengagement noted ‘People from minority ethnic groups were less likely to be registered to vote, turnout to vote and be elected.’ However now that minorities have seen that their ballot can make a difference they may be more likely to take part.
There will be much more of this in the years to come. ‘The UK's share of Muslims in the population could rise from 6.3 percent in 2016 to 17.2 percent by 2050.’
If there were a fresh General Election now we might see a defeat for Phillips, not only because of Muslim voting momentum but also on account of Sir Keir Starmer’s lamentable first few weeks as Prime Minister. Many of the 20.2% of the electorate that gave him a thumping Parliamentary majority must be experiencing buyer’s remorse already. How long has he got? How long has she got?
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