Independent candidate overturns Labour’s Blackburn majority in historic victory

Independent candidate Adnan Hussain overturned Labour’s 18,000-plus majority in Blackburn in a historic victory and said: “This is for Gaza.”

Labour had held power in the Lancashire constituency since it was formed in 1955, when Barbara Castle took the reins and went on to hold several Cabinet positions.

Jack Straw succeeded her in 1979 and went on to become home secretary and foreign secretary before he stepped down and was replaced by Kate Hollern – who retained the seat in 2015 and had held it since.

Ms Hollern triumphed with a majority of 18,304 at the 2019 general election, but that sizeable advantage evaporated as 34-year-old solicitor Mr Hussain took the seat by 132 votes.

Mr Hussain’s campaign had the support of local councillors who resigned from Labour in protest over the party’s reaction to the Israel-Hamas conflict and formed the 4BwD group which, following the May local elections, became the borough’s second largest party and official opposition to Labour.

In his victory speech, he said: “This is for Gaza. I can’t deny the fact that I stand here on this platform before you is a result of a protest vote on the back of a genocide.

“I feel a mixed amount of emotion, one that I can’t truly explain… I can’t forget the reason why I’m here.

” I thank Kate Hollern for the contribution that she has made to our town. She has spoken about Palestine but I’m going to take it a lot further.”

Referring to Sir Keir Starmer, he said: “For a leader of a party to say it is fair to cut off the food, the water and electricity to a besieged population is something that’s truly unforgivable. And today Blackburn you have shown you will not accept injustice no matter who it’s against and this injustice has been against the Gazans.”

He said he intended to “speak for every single person this town” and people were “disillusioned with mainstream politics”.

He went on: “I truly believe that in a time of austerity, poverty, we have a housing crisis, we have an immigration crisis, our NHS is suffering, rather than contributing towards wars that will ultimately blow up in our faces I believe that we should be spending money on our people here at home.

“We shouldn’t have people living on the streets.”

Mr Hussain was later greeted outside the election count venue at King George’s Hall by a crowd of jubilant supporters who chanted: “Free, free Palestine.”