Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) – a thread:
On 30 April, @Keir_Starmer incensed some when he said that the situation in Kashmir was a “bilateral issue for India and Pakistan”, just after having met with Labour Friends of India. /1

On 4 May, the MCB wrote to Starmer to ask him for clarification on his views on the Kashmir question and offering to put on a roundtable for him to be briefed on the subject. 2/ https://mcb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200503-Letter-to-Keir-Starmer-Kashmir.pdf

Starmer welcomed the letter, replying that Labour’s position was unchanged & it was “vital” that the MCB and Labour “have a strong relationship”. His team would be in touch. All seemed rosy. 3/ https://mcb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Keir-Starmer-Letter-to-MCB-Kashmir.pdf

Then, today, 5 Pillars website published a letter from over 100 British mosques threatening Labour votes over the issue. It warned that if Starmer does not “modify” his position, “then we will consider the Labour Party to have simply taken advantage of the Muslim community.” 4/

Moreover, the letter goes on: “[w]e will…have no option but to support a call for the Muslim community to abstain from voting for Labour at all upcoming elections”. 5/ https://5pillarsuk.com/2020/05/10/over-100-mosques-threaten-to-boycott-labour-over-kashmir/#

While heavy handed with other people’s votes, the message is in itself not unusual. Mosques and community organisations write such letters – on domestic and foreign policy issues – quite regularly. What is interesting is that various MCB affiliates signed it too. 6/

In fact, around 1 in 5 signatories is affiliated to the MCB. This includes the Indian Muslim Federation, the Association of Muslim Lawyers, Finsbury Park Mosque, Lewisham Islamic Centre and Waltham Forest Council of Mosques. 7/

The MCB has already been shown to represent only a minority of British Muslim communities. Now, their ability to deliver the support of the members on whose behalf they claim to speak must also be called into question. 8/

Starmer may choose to continue engagement with the MCB. It is his right and he should do whatever he thinks best for the party. But he should be aware of the limits of this strategy. 9/

There is a lesson in this for politicians and government officials alike. If you engage with the MCB, do so with eyes wide open. They may deliver less than you – or even they – think. 10/