Your Party to focus local election efforts on backing independent candidates

Your Party is to focus its local election efforts on a number of urban areas with large Muslim populations where Labour support has weakened, throwing its support behind supporting independent candidates and community groups.Party insiders have intentionally narrowed their focus to key targets including the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, where locally rooted independent campaigns are already braced to challenge Labour.Jeremy Corbyn’s allies will back 250 candidates, the majority of them standing under independent or local banners rather than the Your Party brand.At the seemingly chaotic party conference in November, the party appeared to accept a targeted approach was necessary rather than standing everywhere. One insider said the approach was to “focus on particular areas and bastions” where the party could build durable local bases, rather than compete everywhere at once.As well as London, this includes cities such as Bradford and Birmingham, where Labour’s vote has been increasingly vulnerable, particularly among Muslim communities who drifted away from the party over its stance on Gaza.Labour is braced for huge losses at the locals in May. Analysis by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher suggests Labour could lose well over 1,000 councillors in May and potentially even 2,000 if recent byelection trends continue.The pollsters said: “Controversy over policy in the Middle East ate into Labour support at the 2024 general election. That issue could hurt [Labour] again, with pro-Gaza independents looking to make symbolic gains in Newham and Redbridge.”“We’re focusing on where we are strongest, places where community independent groups have real roots and real prospects,” one Your Party source said. They said the Greens tended to be less strong in those areas, though they said the party often had “productive relationships” with the Greens on a local level.Party figures said the strategy was also based on a split across the political left, with younger graduate voters seen as more likely to drift towards the Greens.A source said: “Like many others, Muslim voters are deserting Labour in droves. Yes, it’s out of disgust at the Gaza genocide, but also at Labour’s inaction over the cost of living and Starmer’s kowtowing to Farage and the racist right. We’re supporting communities to fight back with their own voice – and we’re confident of some big gains.”Party insiders said they hoped their allied groups could take control of at least three councils in east London if the desertion of Labour by leftwing voters continues.In Bradford, insiders expect the council to fall into no overall control, with allied groups hoping to play a significant role.Your Party figures point to Tower Hamlets and Newham as evidence of what can be achieved at a local level, with allied groups winning recent byelections. They also point to Hackney, where independent socialists and Greens have reached local agreements not to stand against each other in certain wards and could work together if they win control of the council.The party’s hopes its targeted approach can allow it to move on from its early days of public spats, a messy leadership contest and conference that exposed severe internal divisions.Corbyn said the local elections would “mark the beginning of the fightback against austerity, privatisation and fear”.