Tajammul Gurmani
Manchester
The election campaign for Manchester City Council (MCC) is going on in full swing, as all political parties have introduced their candidates. There is tough competition between the Labour Party, the Green Party of England and Wales and Reform UK, while Workers, Conservative, LibDem and independent candidates are also busy in door-to-door campaigning. The local elections for 32 seats will be held on 7 May.
Political observers said that the ruling Labour Party is facing a hard time in the local elections because voters are not happy with the party leadership, especially Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood over immigration policies, while Muslim voters are also criticising the government regarding its Gaza policy. The Labour Party also lost the parliamentary by-election in the Gorton and Denton constituency in Manchester, and Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the election with a heavy margin. Reform UK got second place and the Labour Party third position in the by-election. “It is the first local election in history when Labour Party candidates are facing hardship because voters are not happy with the leadership as well as their policies,” sources added.
A Labour candidate for the Manchester Council said that they do not have any connection with national policies and legislation in Parliament, and that they are dealing with local issues and showing excellent performance to overcome civic problems. Meanwhile, Labour Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar from the Rusholme ward kicked off his campaign this week, while Cllr Ahmed Ali, Cllr Jill, former deputy leader Nilofar Siddiqui, Nasir Siddiqui, Sehrish, Dua, Farah and Asma also joined the door-to-door campaigning along with him. He listened to public complaints and assured residents that housing, parking and fly-tipping issues would be resolved.
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