Leanne Mohamad: Could anger over Gaza topple a Labour heavyweight?

Driving along a street in Ilford, a few miles from where East London meets the county of Essex, a middle-aged Muslim man sticks his head out of the window and shouts, “Yes, yes, Leanne, go for it!” 

Leanne Mohamad, 23 years old, raised here by Palestinian parents, smiles. She has been out on these streets every day since announcing that she is standing as an independent candidate in the UK's upcoming general election, and while the odds are stacked against her, she’s beginning to feel as though she might have a shot at winning. 

Certainly, she’s becoming something of a local celebrity. On a canvassing session one afternoon and evening last week, people approached her in the street to offer support, ask how she was doing or take a selfie.

Alongside four other activists, she knocks on door after door. When the voters who answer don’t know who she is, she emphasises that she is an independent and tells them that the two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives, have failed them.

She speaks about her childhood and life in Ilford and how she will always represent the constituency of Ilford North as a local. The young human rights activist, who volunteered at her local mutual aid group throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, wears a hijab and a Palestine necklace as she moves from one door to the next.

Read more: Could anger over Gaza topple a Labour heavyweight?