Leanne Mohamad did it herself. She saw an issue that was not being represented in the options being put on the table by mainstream politicians. And she got off her arse and did something about it – and nearly got voted in. She missed out by 400 votes.
In June 2024, Tara Khan wrote about going to Valentines Park in Ilford to hear Leanne Mohamad speak at an election rally. Mohamad is a 24-year-old British Palestinian standing as an independent candidate in Ilford North. To a crowd of around eighty people, Mohamad talked of how she wants to be the ‘first outspoken British Palestinian to enter Parliament’.
According to Khan Mohamad’s policy platform included:
- Immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
- Protecting the NHS.
- Safer streets.
- Tackling the cost of living crisis.
She resigned as a member of the Labour Party in late October, after Keir Starmer appeared to support Israel’s ‘right’ to cut off water and power to Palestinians in Gaza.
Leanne gave this speech in 2016, a the age of 15, arguing for the rights of Palestinians.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/july/among-the-independents