Record 467 Muslim councillors elected across England as independents and Greens shatter Labour’s grip on urban strongholds

LONDON (MNTV) — A record 467 Muslim councillors were elected across England in the recent local elections, according to exclusive analysis by The Muslim News — a landmark in British Muslim political representation that also marks the most significant realignment of Muslim voting patterns in a generation.

The data, drawn from analysis of roughly 2,076 Muslim candidates who contested seats across district councils, London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and unitary authorities, reveals a community that is not only growing in political participation but fundamentally diversifying in its political allegiances. Muslim representatives now sit across 78 councils and span the full width of the party spectrum — from Labour and the Greens to the Conservatives and, for the first time in significant numbers, Reform UK.

Labour holds most seats — but story is its losses

Labour returned 199 Muslim councillors, accounting for 42.6 per cent of the total and remaining the single largest party among elected Muslim representatives. But that headline figure masks steep losses in the urban heartlands where the party’s relationship with Muslim voters was once taken for granted.

The damage was most dramatic in east London. In Newham, where 141 Muslim candidates contested seats, independents won 31 council seats compared to Labour’s 18 — one of the party’s most painful results anywhere in the country. In Tower Hamlets, the locally dominant Aspire party swept 33 seats while Labour trailed far behind. In Redbridge, independents and Greens continued to chip away at what was once a comfortable Labour majority.

The pattern repeated across northern England. Bradford, a traditional Labour stronghold, returned 29 Muslim councillors — but 19 of them were independents and only five represented Labour. The council moved into no overall control. Blackburn with Darwen told a similar story: six independent Muslim councillors elected alongside just two from Labour, contributing to the party losing control of the authority entirely.

In Birmingham, Muslim representation fragmented across multiple parties — ten independents, six Labour councillors, five Greens, and two Liberal Democrats — reflecting both the city’s financial crisis and broader disillusionment with national politics.

Independent surge

The most striking feature of the results is the scale of independent success. Ninety-one Muslim candidates won seats as independents, representing nearly a fifth of all elected Muslim councillors. Many of these victories were driven by locally organised grassroots campaigns, often built through WhatsApp networks, community mobilisation, and digital outreach coordinated by groups such as The Muslim Vote.

The independent gains were concentrated in areas where local grievances — over Gaza, austerity, council mismanagement, and a sense of being taken for granted by Labour — combined with increasingly sophisticated ground-level organisation. In several authorities, independent candidates did not merely win isolated wards but assembled enough seats to reshape the balance of power on the council.

Greens break through

The Green Party elected 60 Muslim councillors — 12.8 per cent of the total — making it the third-largest party among successful Muslim candidates. The gains were particularly notable in Manchester, Newcastle, Islington, and Hackney, where progressive and anti-war sentiment appeared to drive support toward Green candidates. The party also performed strongly in mayoral races, with Green candidates Hirra Khan Adeogun and Areeq Chowdhury securing third-place finishes in Tower Hamlets and Newham respectively.

Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, and Reform

The Liberal Democrats won 40 Muslim council seats, with particularly strong showings in Kingston upon Thames and Sutton, where the party’s existing local strength provided a platform for Muslim candidates. The Conservatives returned 26 Muslim councillors, maintaining support in suburban wards across areas including Peterborough, Slough, and parts of outer London.

One of the more unexpected outcomes was the election of 12 Muslim councillors representing Reform UK — Nigel Farage’s hard-right, anti-immigration party. These victories were spread across economically challenged areas including Barking and Dagenham, Birmingham, Bury, Calderdale, Dudley, Havering, Sandwell, Sunderland, Wakefield, and Walsall. The result complicates any simple narrative about Muslim political identity and suggests that economic concerns, particularly in post-industrial areas, cut across community and religious lines in ways that party strategists have not fully anticipated.

Muslim mayors elected

Muslim candidates also featured prominently in mayoral contests. In Tower Hamlets, Aspire’s Lutfur Rahman won the mayoralty with nearly 36,000 votes and 38.8 per cent of the total. In Newham, Labour’s Forhad Hussain was elected mayor, defeating independent candidate Mehmood Mirza, who secured over 20,000 votes in a strong second-place finish.

Not all areas followed the urban pattern of Labour collapse. In Luton, the party held firm, electing 12 of 16 successful Muslim candidates despite a competitive field. In Slough, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats performed relatively well, returning seven and four Muslim councillors respectively alongside seven independents.

The Muslim News analysis captures a community in political transition. Labour’s dominance among Muslim voters — built over decades of loyalty rooted in immigration, class, and community ties — is no longer assured. The party retains the largest share of Muslim councillors, but it now competes for those votes with independents, Greens, Liberal Democrats, and even, at the margins, Reform UK.

The factors driving the shift are multiple and overlapping: the war in Gaza and Labour’s perceived failure to respond adequately; the cost-of-living crisis; local authority financial collapse in cities like Birmingham; the rise of digitally organised grassroots campaigns; and a generational change within Muslim communities that has produced younger, more politically diverse, and less tribally loyal voters.

With over 2,000 Muslim candidates contesting seats and 467 winning them across 78 councils, the 2026 local elections represent the high-water mark of Muslim political engagement in England. The question for every party — but especially for Labour — is whether the patterns visible in these results are a temporary protest or the beginning of a permanent realignment.