Whenever she’s been near a microphone in recent months, Ms Reeves has been warning of what she calls the "worst economic inheritance since the Second World War" or as she said at her election count in Leeds
It leaves a party in government that has made progress in winning back trust among people from one faith group while suddenly finding itself with a lot of work to do to win back many members of the other.The drop in the Labour vote share among British Muslims between 2019 and 2024 very obviously played out in several constituencies. This happened most dramatically in Leicester South, with a Muslim population close to 30%, where Shadow Paymaster General Jon Ashworth lost his seat to independent Shockat Adam.
In the seat of Dewsbury and Batley, in Birmingham Perry Barr and in Blackburn,In places like Bradford West and the seat of Bethnal Green and Stepney in east London, sitting Labour MPs clung on with startling reductions in their majorities.Mish Rahman, from Walsall, is not just any Muslim voter. He currently sits on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party, a body of fewer than 40 members.
He is furious with the party’s response to the killing of tens of thousands of people in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.“In my community it has got to the point where I am now embarrassed about my affiliation with Labour,” he says.
“It was hard even to tell members of my own extended family to go and knock on doors to tell people to vote for a party that originally gave Israel carte blanche in its response to the horrific 7 October attacks,” says Mr Rahman.
He lays the blame for the decline in Muslim voting for Labour squarely at the door of the Labour leader.A blue plaque honouring the achievements of a cult 90s band has been unveiled in their hometown.
EMF, from Cinderford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, is best known for its hit single Unbelievable, which sold millions of copies worldwide.Members of the band were there on Tuesday to see the plaque unveiled on Cinderford's town centre clock tower.
EMF also told fans who had travelled from around the country they will perform a free gig in Cinderford in July as a "homecoming"."It's a long time since we've played in Cinderford," lead singer James Atkin told BBC Points West at the unveiling.