George Galloway’s victory in Rochdale shows Labour does not have the next election “in the bag”, a senior Labour source warned.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party enjoys a poll lead of nearly 20-points over the Tories but the fiasco surrounding the Rochdale has heightened anxiety in Labour circles.
The source said: “The huge issue is, for all this talk of massive poll leads, the arithmetic is still very difficult for us to win an overall majority.”
They warned that Labour’s support is “very, very soft” and suggested that Conservatives should see a “glimmer” of hope in the results.
Labour disowned its candidate Azhar Ali over widely condemned comments in which he suggested Israel had allowed the October 7 Hamas attacks to go ahead. Mr Ali finished in fourth place, behind the Conservative candidate, an independent and Mr Galloway.
The Labour source said: “I think the whole thing is in a state of flux. I don’t think the general election is in the bag.
“I think we have to be very concerned about complacency. I think we have to be very concerned about the type of people we are selecting – are we vetting them properly?”
However, they were heartened that Reform UK – whose candidate Simon Danczuk previously represented the seat for Labour – finished in sixth place behind the Liberal Democrats.
Polling by WeThink shows 38 per cent of Britons plan to vote Labour. The Conservatives are on 19 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK – each on eight per cent.
Another senior Labour source was less alarmed by the by-election, saying: “One should never be complacent but this feels like a one-off.”
They did not want Labour to harden its line on Gaza in response to Mr Galloway, an ardent campaigner for the Palestinian cause.
The source said: “I’m very comfortable with our position on Gaza. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is the right thing to ask for.
“I don’t think we should change our position. I think we’re in the right place now.”
A Labour MP joked that Nigel Farage, who has never won a Westminster seat, should ask Mr Galloway to name his “magic ingredient” for winning elections. Mr Galloway, a former Labour MP who today leads the Workers Party of Britain, won the inner London seat of Bethnal Green and Bow in 2005 and Bradford West in 2012.
The MP said: “Farage has tried umpteen times and got absolutely nowhere and Galloway seems to turn his franchise up, open his store and pinch seats.”
