Will Gaza cost Labour votes in east London? The view from Ilford

In the run-up to July's election, the Guardian video team will be touring the UK looking at the issues that matter to voters.
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In a week when an attack on a refugee camp in Rafah and the Labour party's treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen dominated the headlines, we spoke to voters in Ilford - North and South - who were protesting locally about Gaza. We asked whether these issues would make a difference to how they vote in the election, met canvassers getting behind independent candidates, and spoke to business owners about their political priorities
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#gaza #generalelection #ukelection #aviewfrom #ilford #eastlondon #politics #labour

[@justicejustice9785]

No difference whatsoever between Tories and Labour, it's time to vote for independent candidates across the country.

[@davedavids57]

Labour won't leave the ECHR?

[@carobertson7208]

Hunner percent

[@momofx8239]

agree

[@zcharged8294]

wrong. it’s time to vote Lib Dem if you want a proper challenge to the current status

[@RAGSTAluvsDA90z]

​@@zcharged8294 they the worse after what they did to students, this is what led to a tory government

[@jayr3938]

Shame on Labour and Conservatives

[@toniohennessy4155]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 shame. On you

[@ehannasir8464]

for what? knowing that both are useless? especially the conservatives, 15years and immigration has only increased, the economy got worse and they are only now tackling "wokeness", what a useless party, sure it's not as useless and crazy as the green party but thats a pretty low bar

[@Liebilllll]

Labour have lost my vote. Gaza was the final straw.

[@leedavis6000]

Same.

[@32shumble]

I'm definitely considering not voting Labour

[@bobbob-gv1ev]

Lots of injustice in the world, why the obsession with 1 location that voted in terrorists

[@bobbob-gv1ev]

Lots of injustice all over the world...why the obsession with 1 place that voted in terrorists over PLO. This suffering is a result of their own political leaders & their decisions

[@daughterofenoch677]

​@@bobbob-gv1ev Lots of prejudices all over the world, why the obsession with auntisemitism ?

[@flowerpower7288]

Gaza has certainly lost Labour my vote and I live in rural Devon

[@Los_Altos_Mapper_89]

are you ethnically cornish?

[@justsain3236]

@@Los_Altos_Mapper_89 Does it matter what ethnicity someone is in regards to the Palestine issue?

[@Los_Altos_Mapper_89]

@@justsain3236 Oh no im just asking mate You can be any race and support palestine, personally I support palestinian independence and a two state solution with peace prevailing. Im just interested in the history of the british isles and asked.

[@erertertert44]

genuine question why are you so stuck on gaza? why arent people calling for opinions on the burmese or sudan civil wars? they have proven much more deadly yet no one even talks about it. What has gaza got to do with us, anymore than burma or sudan or ukraine

[@stanbily9416]

What has Palestine got to do with Britain? Stop trying to make British politics about Middle-Eastern conflict 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@SaqibSheikh]

Not just east London. We’re not voting for “they have that right” keir

[@BowserLucaTheThird]

Starmer has turned labour into the party of antisemitism by supporting Israel in their racist antisemetic war

[@randomhuman2595]

He said that he didn't believe that they had that right and he misspoke

[@ramiro041]

It will cost labour votes on every young demographic

[@Applied_Theory]

Kids Starver is more Tory than Rich Snake.

[@i.k.8868]

hahaha

[@earnestequivocation6250]

Infantile nonsense

[@Applied_Theory]

@@earnestequivocation6250 nice to meet you.

[@Timur_Alma-ata]

Great analogies

[@Blastoice]

He went to posh boys school,🤔 Wolf in sheeps clothing

[@nrnar]

Wow, the average saving for an account in a bank in the UK is only £500 !!!

[@georgechristoforou991]

You can see it at cash machine when you see other people's printout. Lots of overdrawn accounts or a few hundred at most. Debt is everywhere.

[@Viewer-discretion-is-advised7]

That’s the exact amount of savings I have at the moment and it’s taken about 3 months of not spending on anything outside of essentials cost of living is too high.

[@dannyh9290]

That can't be true. Way too low.

[@georgechristoforou991]

@@dannyh9290 lol. The average of people with savings and the debts might make this true

[@huwdavies-tallon3305]

​@@georgechristoforou991Or at the petrol pump only putting 10 or 20 in as all they can afford.

[@africanayasmin6210]

Illford is not GAaza though😮

[@imaanhadi1340]

No vote for labouror or torries

[@KrzysztofSzkodaGames]

It would be interesting to see if smaller parties can get a seat as people fed up with Labour and the Conservatives

[@martyrx3436]

Labour are officially Conservative Lite. They aren’t Left. They’re Centre Right at least…

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

Like proper, decent Labour under Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown, John Smith, Neil Kinnock, Michael Foot, James Callaghan, Harold Wilson, Hugh Gaitskill and Clement Attlee?

[@aaronking2369]

Conservative aren't right either

[@mrmeldrew693]

Imagine still voting Red/Blue and expecting anything to get better.

[@xxjuicegalaxy6134]

💀 Reform all the way

[@lookafternumber1]

No

[@milsub59]

Thanks for trashing the Tory vote

[@danielclemence3689]

​@@lookafternumber1why not?

[@FlatTopCapNewsChannel]

Why are people more concerned on the issues of a country over 1 thousands miles away instead of the issues in your own country, unless it isn’t your country of course.

[@nadpor68]

The sorry state of Britain if elections and electorate give priority to Gaza, why not go and live there. Utterly absurd

[@IshaHaHa-fw2df]

Why is your tax money go to Israel then? Go live there then!

[@christopheuhlin7309]

Stameir IS A TORY!!! SO SAME DIFFERENCE.....

[@tonyfincham6126]

Deserves to lose votes as today he has shown his colours by recruiting a pro Israeli supporter.

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

Sir Keir Starmer’s mother was an NHS nurse and his father was a factory worker manufacturing tools and he worked himself all the way to the top.

[@christopheuhlin7309]

@stevenpaulgoulding Thank you for your comment but he has become a tory disguised as Labour.

[@huwdavies-tallon3305]

Defo the most right wing Labour ever objectively.

[@ehannasir8464]

@@huwdavies-tallon3305 i mean thats. what happens when u purge the left wing of the party, and then forget what your ideology is

[@spinsaw]

Long time Labour voter but this time I will be voting independent. Labours stance on Gaza is disgusting.

[@mohamedgoldstein5565]

When something that happens half the world away is the most important factor in British elections.

[@jake751]

Depends on your humanity

[@honourthefire9182]

​@@jake751Word bro 💯

[@thl205]

It’s not the most important factor, by a long way

[@russell6877]

@@jake751depends on your ethno religious interest

[@Pomegranate_David]

His name is Goldstein. Reach your own conclusions.

[@allanwhiteley6199]

Gaza and it's people as nothing to do with the UK's people and the English way of life.

[@lookafternumber1]

It is about people who cares about human and has heart and who has not sold it to the devil, AIPAC

[@R1IY2N]

same with israel

[@Moses_VII]

Tell that to British weapons manufacturers. Tell that to the British military and its bombing of Yemen and its hostility to Iran and Syria.

[@naomixx177]

1940s is calling

[@ru6886]

Your taxes are going towards funding that instead of improving this country

[@Disco-Terry]

Labour should focus on British people and British values.

[@Pomegranate_David]

Define "British values"

[@T1CHE14]

​@@Pomegranate_Davidif you don't know the 5 values. You shouldn't be here.

[@j.harrison6744]

​@@Pomegranate_DavidFunny how you 'New British' consider yourself 'British' when it suits you.

[@Pomegranate_David]

@@j.harrison6744 I was born here mate. Nothing "new" about me.

[@wafflione3211]

​@@Pomegranate_DavidIt doesn't matter where you were born, what matters is your bloodline.

[@shus5787]

Kid starver starmer

[@Adonnus100]

When did Starmer starve any kids?

[@shus5787]

@Adonnus100 when he sed it was OK for israel to cut off supplies to gaza

[@Adonnus100]

@@shus5787 Where did he say that? give a link

[@xwhateverx666]

He's happy to starve kids here too! Keeping the 2 child benefit cap keeps 100s of thousands of children in poverty in the UK.

[@realxinruz4064]

@@shus5787it is that’s how war works

[@nomylearnspalestine]

Vote for Leanne!

[@EnglishAbundance]

Nah, thanks.

[@bye-72]

Just watch this, now I’m definitely voting reform. This is England not Palestine.

[@JasonJohnson-yv7lz]

In the video, the buildings look British, but nothing else does. If it were not for the architecture, it could pass for some middle eastern dump.

[@michaelfarmhand]

I’m sick and tired of hearing ’Muslim voter’ I’m sick of identity politics.

[@mrfish2064]

Agreed. I am sick of politicians who don't care about the people of England, whose only concern is for people who voted in terrorists thousands of miles away.

[@apurpose8614]

So hamas is terrorists? What is Israel then? Hamas is not present at West Bank, why so much violence there against Palestinians by this apartheid regime? Have some sense

[@valiantheart8891]

No vote either for labour or conservative.

[@b_tuber-ti8ep]

Why is it that a particular foreign conflict affects a British election, when there are conflicts in many other parts of the World?

[@crumpfyllc5571]

because british are supplying weapons

[@b_tuber-ti8ep]

@@crumpfyllc5571 Are British supplied weapons being used in just one conflict?

[@locorum9103]

Britain literally created Israel

[@peelfreshvita3199]

@b_tuber_ti8ep wait there's more? so British doesn't contribute to one massive problem, but multiple massive problem around the world and they kept quiet about it?

[@crumpfyllc5571]

​@@b_tuber-ti8ep this sounds a very worse statement. British should be shameful for supplying weapons for genocides and wars. shame for british people who keep quiet during different wars. shameful statement by you.

[@guvnormcfc66]

ZERO FUCKS GIVEN ABOUT GAZA.

[@TenmaKenzo-to1so]

These comments are making me so happy there's a HUGE shift happening and I'm all for it!🙏

[@Dr75532]

No there isn’t ! You’ve had to many sherbets 😂

[@disdoncable]

Yeah, a HUGE shift happening towards Reform UK. Thank heavens

[@williamrockwell9705]

What shift? The UK being given away even faster?

[@aliancemd]

Voting to bring somebody overly religious in power is also not a great idea…

[@hastaluego6665]

Still voting for reform

[@er4767]

Comparing Gaza related votes on religious grounds is wrong. It's like saying UK and Northern Ireland issue was Catholic versus Protestants. Gaza is voters taken their opinion on UK'S ballot box on UK'S foreign policy, aid and how UK supports allies and other countries. Voting in this way is democratic and aligned with British values. Nothing to do with Islam or being Muslim

[@PoliticalRegality]

Reform! Reform! Reform!

[@tdx341]

Vote for Reform

[@user-ln3lh2pz8h]

Yes. Goodbye Wes. Nice knowing you! But Ilford wants a change.

[@daughterofenoch677]

How did he get elected to begin with ?

[@jake751]

The constituents despise him

[@jake751]

​@@daughterofenoch677because people were voting for Jeremy corbyn to be priminister 😊

[@PoliticalRegality]

Voting Reform party!

[@brettparnell8254]

Britain needs a parliament that stands with Israel.

[@JackGreen-gh6sw]

Voting the workers party - wasted 17 years giving my vote to labour

[@neilw.3012]

A little extreme

[@MICRelaxation]

I would be voting for either a Green or an independent candidate in my constituency here in London where I live. I have always been a labour all my life 34 years of living in this country.

[@layletts7888]

Why don’t they go to Gaza if they don’t like it here?

[@haggaidasilva3769]

They are becoming MP to free Palestinian not to Bring a change in Uk.disguting

[@dawoodilyas9034]

Because the real epicenter of world politics is Jerusalem. If any country gets involved in that jerusalem matter, they face segregation in their own community. Means they should have thought before going into it. If they have jumped on this matter, they will have to face it, and the future of great Britain relies on it.

[@pikachuthunderbolt3919]

It doesn't look london lol 😂

[@europainvicta3907]

If you live in Holborn and St Pancras - vote for Andrew Feinstein.

[@MohammedAliTravel]

Why does the Guardian suggests that it affects only Labour? What about Tories, Liberals, etc...

[@j.harrison6744]

It's about Ilford, and east-London, which are Labour areas. Tories and Liberal's are completely irrelevant.

[@waqmanime]

No such thing as labour, it is potentially worse than the tories with starmer in charhe tbh.

[@thl205]

In 2015, Ed Miliband put it in the Labour manifesto that he would make Britain the first major country to recognise Palestine. Did people vote for that then? Nope, they went with the usual “both parties are the same” nonsense and stayed home or wasted their vote on some losers. Eventually, it becomes clear that parties gearing themselves towards foreign events doesn’t get them any votes so they stop doing it 🤷‍♂️

[@adriftinaboat3452]

Foreign policy affects everyone -even you. How’s your gas, electricity , fuel bill getting on

[@jakeperalta3797]

Free Palestine from Hamas

[@MSI-E]

You clearly forgot about the West Bank.

[@pg-ko6ph]

I am not muslim but they will certainly not get my vote

[@adamharris1406]

Labour seems to have merged with the Tories, which have similar policies. It is time to vote Independent.

[@pikachuthunderbolt3919]

British vote wont matter as minority appeasement is there...😂 This is the goodwill of democracy....to change demography..😅

[@stevewoodhouse621]

Whether this will cost Labour votes is beyond question. But in our FPTP system, the only question that matters is whether it will cost them seats. In 2019 - Labour’s worst result for almost a century - the result was Labour 50.5%, Con 40.1%. The Brexit Party only got 1.9%, and this time Reform may get c.10-15%, most of that from the tories, PLUS there’s clearly going to be a massive Con-to-Lab swing. That’s going to give Lab a 20-25% lead before we factor this in. The total Asian population in Ilford North is 15.5%. So if every Muslim voted Lab last time, and every single one voted Green/Indie this time, that wouldn’t be enough to lose Lab the seat. That’s not a political opinion, that’s just maths.

[@mohamedyabarag4519]

That young lady really summed up. Stammer is a Tory in disguise.

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

Like all the Labour leaders before Corbyn?

[@mohamedyabarag4519]

@@stevenpaulgoulding absolutely

[@GeorgeSayers-fu6wo]

Who is Stammer? He doesn't stammer at all.

[@albertinathompson8933]

Reading the comments is elucidating. I’m seeing a lot of “neither” being turfed, which I assume means they want Reform to gain traction. This, of course, will be a terrible consequence for the people interviewed here.

[@juliechristie277]

Britain should be about the british not palistine not gaza not foregin communities but about what the british want

[@muslimresponse103]

0:20 did that buffoon just say he is voting for rishi because of his mum n dad? LOL

[@shawnbarron2455]

At 4:32 the way the guy says Palestine is really weird like he just heard the old for the first time yesterday 😂

[@facehugger3]

You all know what to do. Vote for literally anybody but labour.

[@ukhilali7418]

Labour has become no no for most under Starmer?!..

[@kellykreqeli8924]

Who cares if it does this is a general election for Great Britain and the problems we have here not for Gaza which has nothing to do with Britain

[@danielclemence3689]

Vote Reform.

[@VoiceSriLanka]

Never vote 🗳️ for a party. Vote for the person

[@moally4696]

Go on, Leanne.

[@amz6716]

Leanne all the way

[@danielgreen4213]

Vote Reform uk 🇬🇧 people shouldn't base a vote on gaza

[@jake751]

No

[@honourthefire9182]

🐏🐑🐏

[@Pomegranate_David]

Green is a common surname for a certain people that wear little hats.

[@danielgreen4213]

@@Pomegranate_David born and breed in Norfolk UK 🇬🇧

[@neilw.3012]

​@@Pomegranate_Davidracist

[@huwdavies-tallon3305]

I don't like this women but Hate Wes Streeting so hope he loses will be hilarious.

[@englishbob9492]

Watching the balkanisation of Britain as it happens:

[@r.b6170]

Well that took place over centuries, so you've little to worry about.

[@englishbob9492]

@@r.b6170You must be very young.

[@dirtyyarenblacc9985]

If u intervened Global Politics years of year and De-stabilise regions, That regions citizens can exit their place and go your region which is stabilize.

[@goonerboz6023]

​@@englishbob9492you never had a history lesson and have you forgot the last 20 years where europe and usa have bombed Iraq Afghanistan and Libya and Syria and yemen or are you just simple

[@englishbob9492]

@@goonerboz6023 There’s always someone to remind me how many people there are in Britain who hate Britain. You have been radicalised.

[@kc_1018]

I don't think it matters. Labour still winning in a landslide.

[@thiphan264]

If some one is citizen of a country, the topics inside the country should be the most important topics. The politicians have the duty to care about the problems inside the country at first: economic crisis, money, unemployment, criminal rate, ... I can not believe that the people of UK let foreigners take over their country to care about the problems in the foreign countries. Who cares at first for their old country, wants to fight for their old country, should go back to the country where he or she came from.

[@shahinshahi7108]

Who trust Guardian that is the Q!!?😂

[@matthewbaynham6286]

Plenty of people trust the Guardian, do you have a reason why they shouldn't?

[@georgechristoforou991]

Intelligence officer is stationed inside the Guardian to vet their articles.

[@lamueldagon7618]

​Since 2013

[@Viewer-discretion-is-advised7]

The most shocking thing here is that they managed to find 3 English people in ilford 😂 Look At the state of that place majority of people Either not born in England or have parents who moved here and all They care about is protesting about the foreign country’s they came from! I’m an English man and I care about England not some foreign country who represents my interests as an English person here?certainly not any of these people this is the result of Blair’s failed multicultural experiment importing all these strange people with different beliefs cultures and clothes etc over here to the extent they have basically taken over the area. Colonialism is alive and well Britain being colonised.

[@j.harrison6744]

True, I'm English and I live nearby in Barking and Dagenham. The place has been gutted. Further, the colonisation started before Blair.

[@Viewer-discretion-is-advised7]

@@j.harrison6744 I’m getting out end of the month. You realise the negative effects of your environment when I leave it and go somewhere surrounded by your own people and culture a sense of calm safety and happiness like your all in it togeather and can relate in London no one trusts each other because everyone is from somewhere else or beliefs in something else that’s why diversity is such a weakness the strongest societys are humongous ones.

[@Moses_VII]

This colonialism is retribution on a scale much smaller than the original colonialism. Count yourselves lucky that the immigrants didn't destroy your manufacturing and technology industries the way Britain destroyed the industries of India centuries ago. Count yourselves lucky that you aren't forced to import cars from Africa and India, and that you still have factories in places such as the Sunderlands. Yes, your companies are owned by foreign companies, but the factories still are in the UK, benefitting the British economy.

[@Brzeczyszczykiewicz00000]

​@@Moses_VIIbut those colonized country didn't lost there religion and homogenous population, so stop cracking nonsense

[@Strategy5430]

And no video about this fact?journalist was holding 3 hostages in home alongside family: Abdallah Aljamal, news Al Jazeera contributor and ex-Hamas spokesman, was killed by troops in hostage rescue in Nuseirat; he was holding Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv captive.

[@klopgtur5931]

The future of this country looks bleak, if you like your freedom, you'll get out of the UK asap.

[@ugada6358]

Vote for anti Genocide party vote for independent

[@ce1834]

I actually support Labour for this election, but I'd be very glad to see Wes Streeting out of Parliament

[@peyoteranchuk741]

Keir Starmer claims to be Labour while undermining their principles at every turn.

[@fatheraff3542]

Don’t vote for Sunak

[@KarimAouissi]

Don’t vote for Starmer either, he’s the head of the snake.

[@leonharrison800]

Let Labour lose votes across Britain. And Tories and Farage. Galloway for PM.

[@simonkaggwanjala]

Ilford is not East London.

[@belugafan2345]

It’s sad people trying to capitalised on the tragedy !!!

[@ccccc6]

You can tell how much they care about England making a better country when all their agenda is based on a country miles away.

[@christjo4440]

Free Free Palestine FROM HAMAS.

[@MSI-E]

You have the West Bank....

[@locorum9103]

Amazing how British conservatives can talk about this as 'just some foreign conflict with no relevance here'. Your country had the largest empire in the world for over a century. It imposed Israel on the Palestine colony. The empire created the conditions the rest of the world deals with. You can't just scrub your hands of this and then simultaneously go on about how great 'western civilisation' is when it suits you.

[@ru76224]

1:07 You like Kid Starver Starmer? Are you deaf and blind after whats he done to Diane Abbot.

[@louisemay8185]

Run out of the UK while you can.. trust me this place is finished.

[@SidKhan-wl8qz]

YES

[@stellafolwarska4216]

'who my mum and dad vote for' u shouldn't be alloed to vote if you can't even develop your own opinions 😂

[@Pomegranate_David]

That guy was hilarious. He probably asks permission from mummy and daddy before he goes to his polling station too.

[@AdastraRecordings]

Same policy different colour, pick red or blue, that's all you get.

[@regtailor4625]

To be honest this is gutter politics. This will only split votes and voting Labour will be a disaster in waiting

[@QWERDQ_]

Democracy needs the education of the general public not what my mom and dad are voting I’ll vote for that…

[@lucyhenery2356]

Labour finished

[@bigman5586]

Imagine who’d be her low T levelled partner

[@dr.phibes7359]

Vote Reform UK....

[@jake751]

No

[@honourthefire9182]

🐑🐑🐑

[@dr.phibes7359]

@@honourthefire9182Don't worry us sheep will protect all you vulnerable little lambs. We will give you the guidance you need. You're welcome.

[@danielclemence3689]

Vote Reform!

[@tkabiranik]

0:45 There you go, the real answer.

[@Titus9508]

Will?

[@rwjc4530]

Voting in a UK election based on what's happening in other countries is kind of not very intelligent coming from a Black British guy who doesn't vote because i don't believe you can have democracy.

[@Carneirokun]

Guys, I'm from Brazil and I would like to better understand the situation. Why are people saying that Keir Starmer is a Tory? And why people can't see any difference beteween Labour and Conservatives? Thanks.

[@jake751]

Same policies despise the poor and disabled. Racists and they side with Israel.

[@Titus9508]

Simple, there is no evidence to show Starmer is not an absolutely typical 'One Nation Conservative'.

[@Pomegranate_David]

Because he betrayed his former friend socialist Jeremy Corbyn that led the party. He is now pandering to the right wingers of the Conservative party and has had defections that he welcomed with open arms. He pretended to care about the British people by running on a socialist platform too, but he now cares more about Israel and defending its genocide. He is basically a scam artist and lied to get to the top.

[@alicemendez9660]

British ?

[@user-cf3cr8ki7e]

I don't think so

[@pmj2854]

Of course her values is Shariah Law

[@deadofthis4315]

She's incredible, get out there and vote for her!