Muslims polled ahead of this week's local elections will 'punish' the Government by supporting pro-Gaza candidates, reports suggest.

10:04, Tue, May 5, 2026 Updated: 10:08, Tue, May 5, 2026

Hands of Al Aqsa Mosque protest, London

Cities including London have been hit by protests over the war in Gaza in recent months (Image: Getty)

A quarter of Muslims said they had a "favourable view" of proscribed terror group Hamas, according to bombshell new polling. A survey conducted by JL Partners for the think tank Policy Exchange also found that the war in Gaza ranked above the economy in Muslim voters' priorities ahead of this week's local elections. While the conflict was described as a vote-winning issue for a quarter of the 1,006 Muslims polled, this view was only echoed by 5% of the public overall.

The polling, published by The Times, also found that Muslim support for Labour had dropped sharply since the 2024 general election, from 41% to 33%. It indicated a shift towards support for the Green Party and independent candidates who have been vocal about the conflict, suggesting areas with large Muslim populations will "further punish" the Government at polling stations on Thursday.

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British Muslims polled ahead of the local elections ranked the war in Gaza as a winning issue (Image: Getty)

Dr Rakib Ehsan, who compiled the report, said: "The fresh polling reveals fundamental differences between the wider general population and British Muslims living in parts of England where problems over integration continue to persist.

"This is especially stark over the extent to which Israel-Gaza is prioritised as an issue when deciding to vote."

The findings, which were based on polling in areas including Greater London, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, also showed a spike in support for pro-Gaza independent candidates among 18 to 24-year-olds, with support rising to nearly three in ten.

Muslim voters also ranked the cost-of-living, education and welfare as important issues, reflecting opinions across the wider electorate, but prioritised the war in Gaza over the economy, housing, healthcare and crime.

Labour is expected to lose hundreds of seats across the country this week, with backbenchers reported to be drafting a letter blaming Sir Keir Starmer for the defeat and calling on him to resign.

The reports, which ministers have denied, come amid rumblings of a potential leadership bid by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner or Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

But Sir Keir urged his party not to repeat the Conservative Party's mistake of "descending into political infighting" while writing in the Observer over the weekend.

"We have a choice," he said. "We could sink into the politics of grievance and division. Or we could rise to this moment - together - in a national effort that matches the scale of the threats and turbulence we face.

"When the nation rallied together to deal with Covid, the last government could have channelled that spirit to build a better nation. But instead, they descended into political infighting and let the country slump back to the old status quo. Not this time."