UK 2017 snap polls: Nastiest ever campaign fails to defeat Naz Shah

LONDON: Britain’s 2017 snap general election will be remembered for the huge political shocks that it created but it will also be remembered for one of the nastiest ever campaigns run against Naz Shah, Labour’s candidate in Bradford West, who has won for the second time with an increased majority.

Campaign against Naz Shah was run by at least three groups who joined forces in order to oust her from the constituency at all costs. These groups included honour killing victim Samia Shahid’s family, Labour MP Imran Hussain’s group from Bradford East and now-defunct Respect Party’s supporters. These groups combined to support former Respect party councillor and independent candidate Salma Yaqoob who stood against Naz Shah.

Bradford is known for concentration of Pakistani origin voters in two constituencies. Naz Shah's Bradford West constituency has more Muslim voters than any other constituency in Britain with total 40,290 voters registered in it out of which 20,669 are eligible Muslim voters (around 51% Muslim votes) and neighbouring Bradford East constituency has the second most Muslim votes (15,299 are Muslim voters out of the total registered 41,406 voters – meaning thereby that Muslim votes are 37%of the total).

In Bradford West, this was no ordinary election campaign. It was probably the only constituency in Britain where one of the most vicious ever campaign was seen involving slander, smears, threats of violence, allegations, sectarian slurs, character assassination, lies and ‘baradariism’ card – all aimed at Naz Shah.

Shockingly, it was Labour candidate from Bradford East who was involved in campaign against another Labour candidate in violation of the party rules. Salma Yaqoob was brought to Bradford West to stand against Naz Shah from hundreds of miles away in Birmingham Hodge Hill. Salma Yaqoob claimed that she had decided to stand in Bradford West because it was the “most deprived area in the country” while the fact is Birmingham Hodge Hill is almost equally deprived and faces similar issues as Bradford West.

Former Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Choudhary Rangzeb and Jibran Hussain, Constituency Labour Party (CLP) Chairman who is also Imran Hussain’s younger brother, threw their weight behind the rival candidates by not supporting Naz Shah even for a single day. They were joined by former Lord Mayor of Bradford and current Keighley councillor Khadim Hussain, who has been expelled from Labour Party over anti-Semitism, who first stood as an independent and then announced to join Salma Yaqoob’s campaign.

Imran Hussain’s campaign team openly supported Salma Yaqoob’s campaign, heckled and booed Naz Shah and took to social media to slander her. They didn’t hide the fact that they wanted Naz Shah to lose the election and were vocal and practical about it. In the City Ward of Bradford West where Imran Hussain is based, no campaign was run for the Labour candidate and voters were urged to vote for the anti-Labour candidate.

When Imran Hussain, in whose presence this all happened, was asked as to why his team was attacking a fellow Labour candidate in such a vicious manner and why was he encouraging it, he initially replied that this matter shouldn’t be discussed as it involved “complexities”. Independent local witnesses have confirmed that Imran Hussain’s family members phoned them urging them not to support Labour candidate in Bradford West. When pressed that there was sufficient evidence available showing his team’s work for the independent candidate, he said he would take legal action if this issue was raised and cut the line without answering further questions.

At hustings and meetings, Imran Hussain’s supporters provided back up services to Ms Yaqoob’s team, lobbied for her and hissed and booed when Naz Shah spoke and not for once supported her. In one instance, video recording of which is available, Imran Hussain openly sided with Salma Yaqoob while sharing the same platform and venue with Naz Hussain. Imran Hussain advocated that Salma Yaqoob, an independent, be given equal or more airtime than Naz Shah, the Labour candidate who has been a member of the powerful Home Affairs Select Committee. The audience were visibly shocked when they saw a Labour candidate openly siding with the independent trying to oust Labour candidate.

Salma Yaqoob’s campaign openly told the mainly Muslim voters that Salma Yaqoob should be given votes because she wore hijab and therefore was a better Muslim as compared to Naz Shah. Salma Yaqoob didn’t distance herself from the comments of cleric Asim Hussain who, at the launch event for Salma Yaqoob, urged the voters to support the “better Muslim” between Naz Shah and Salma Yaqoob. He said: “Two Muslim women are standing, two Muslim women are standing. Who is the most Muslim? That's where we should vote and that’s Salma Yaqoob”. Mosques were told that Naz Shah shall be voted out because she didn’t wear hijab and that she doesn’t come from a “good baradri”.

The nasty campaign was so effective and well-organised that posters were pushed through doors alleging that Naz Shah had links with sectarian organisations and terrorists and therefore she should not be supported. Posters were circulated through social media and WhatsApp attacking her character, making unsubstantiated allegations and smears.

Speaking to hundreds of people in Bradford City at Khidmat Centre, Labour activist Pateh Khan likened Naz Shah with a “dog”. He said: “Even when we adopt/buy a dog, we carefully look for its pedigree, lineage and character. What are you looking into her? What is Naz Shah promoting? What does her dress, her lifestyle, her character demonstrate? What will be the impact of her on our next generations? First of all we are all Muslims, all praise be to God.”

Some in the audience clapped while Salma Yaqoob looked on approvingly and didn’t distance herself from the disgusting remarks. She claimed on her posters that she was a candidate of Jeremey Corbyn while Naz Shah was not and that caused sensation locally. The Labour leader had to intervene and a letter was issued to Salma Yaqoob’s team to stop misleading the voters. Jeremy Corbyn threw his full weight behind the Labour candidate and said that during her two years in the parliament, Naz Shah had done an excellent job and should be voted for.

Murder victim Samia Shahid’s family supported Salma Yaqoob’s campaign and organised events in her support. They did so to punish Naz Shah who highlighted the honour killing case of Samia Shahid and has been pursuing it relentlessly. The family members openly said that Naz Shah needed to be punished because she had taken up the case of Samia Shahid who was allegedly murdered in Jhelum by her own father and former husband.

The campaign turned so hard-hitting and vicious that former cabinet minister Sayeeda Warsi intervened to stop abusive attacks on Naz Shah. It is understood that Sayeeda Warsi spoke to Salma Yaqoob and told her to reign in her supporters who were doing no good to her campaign by using dirty tricks against the female Labour candidate. Sayeeda Warsi had openly condemned the same campaign against Naz Shah by the same people, using same tactics, in 2015 when she fought against George Galloway and took seat from him. It is not clear whether Warsi also spoke to Imran Hussain or not.

Nazir Afzal OBE, former Chief Crown Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service for North West England, said in a statement: “In Bradford West some in British Pakistani community should be ashamed of undisguised misogyny towards Naz Shah.”

But the dirty campaigners failed as the decent voters of Bradford West decisively rejected the negative campaign. On 8th June, Naz Shah secured 65 per cent of the vote and increased her majority to a massive 21,902 votes. Conservative George Grant beat Ms Yaqoob into a distant third place. Naz Shah’s majority has increased as compared with 19,977 in 2015 in one of the largest increased majorities seen so far in this election.

After the election, Naz Shah said that: “The level of misogyny I received in this election was incredible, I didn’t think there was anything that could have topped Galloway. But here we are. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. The people of Bradford West were very clear about what they wanted to see. They chose hope over division.”

George Grant, Conservative candidate, said he was proud of the clean campaign he had ran but said the “personality-based” campaign had been as bad as 2015.