Dewsbury voters welcome historic independent MP

Iqbal Mohamed is the new MP for Dewsbury and Batley

An independent candidate has won a general election seat in Yorkshire for the first time since 1907.

Iqbal Mohamed's victory in the Dewsbury and Batley constituency was as resounding as it was historic.

He won 41% of the vote to take the West Yorkshire seat, picking up 15,641 votes compared to second-placed Labour's 8,707.

Mr Mohamed said his win was due to "a combination of several things", not just his stance on Gaza. The BBC took to the streets of Dewsbury on Friday morning to test his theory.

In between packing tomatoes on the fruit & veg stall where she works at the town's market, Rachel Carter told us independent candidates "understand a lot more about Dewsbury and what Dewsbury needs".

"I think it will be very good," the 35-year-old predicted.

"Dewsbury has become quite run-down in recent years. The independents understand what Dewsbury used to be like and they want to get it back to being like that."

Ms Carter admitted she was not familiar with Mr Mohamed or his polices, and said she had not voted in the election, but was "happy" to see him elected.

Rachel Carter says independent candidates "understand a lot more about Dewsbury"

An appetite for change in this part of the world is not new.

Just two months ago, five independent candidates won seats on Kirklees Council in the local elections, with the Labour Party losing overall control amid huge financial pressures and controversy over the national leadership's stance on Gaza.

"People are fed-up with Labour, especially with the state of Kirklees Council," civil servant Rehana Ismail explained on her way to a doctor's appointment.

"People wanted a change. Between Labour and the Conservatives, there isn't much difference."

The issue of Gaza remained "massive for a lot of people in Dewsbury and Batley", added the 45-year-old, who voted for Mr Mohamed.

The UK's newest political party, Reform, finished third in Dewsbury and Batley, further underlining the appetite for change.

The BBC spoke to one Reform voter, a 63-year-old retired engineer who did not want to give his name.

He was coy about his reasons for voting Reform, but wished the new incumbent here well.

"I don't know anything about him, you have got to give somebody a chance," he said.

Support for Gaza was on display in Dewsbury town centre

Manzur Ahmed had two reasons to celebrate on Friday. It was his 62nd birthday, and he also voted for Mr Mohamed.

Despite the pull of the independent candidate being "a local person helping out a lot of businesses", Mr Ahmed said the "main reason" he had been elected was because of his support for the people of Gaza.

"We were Labour voters all our lives," the pizza restaurant worker said while standing in front of a Palestinian flag.

"I don't know if he can make a difference [to the conflict], but he will be there representing us and we will at least have a voice at [Prime Minister's Questions]."

Manzur Ahmed says Mr Mohamed will give Dewsbury a voice in Parliament

Liyakatali Muller admitted his vote for Mr Mohamed was partly out of protest against the major parties' stance on Gaza.

The 59-year-old was unsure how successful he would be, however.

"The major parties, they don't listen to the individual," he added. "I'm not hoping so much."

The seat of Dewsbury and Batley was newly-created for the 2024 election, combining the former Tory-led constituency of Dewsbury with Labour-held Batley and Spen.

Market stall owner Mohammed Rasab admitted he knew little about Mr Mohamed aside from him being "a local lad" and his campaign being "something to do with Palestine".

"That's why they have voted for him," said the 56-year-old.

"This was a Labour safe seat."

Mohammed Rasab is unsure if Mr Mohamed will outperform his predecessors

Mr Mohamed's presence is felt locally. His campaign placards far outnumber those of his rivals in and around the town centre and several people claimed to know him, or those close to him.

Others said they had never heard from their previous MPs, who "never did owt", said Mr Rasab.

He admitted he didn't know if the new incumbent would make a difference, but in his first interview since being elected Mr Mohamed told the BBC he wanted everybody in the constituency to "know that I am there to work for them".

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