Jess Phillips election count plunged into chaos after she's forced to call the police
The Labour politician has held her seat but only just after a close-run contest against George Galloway's pro-Palestine Workers Party of Britain candidate.
Election 2024: Jess Phillips met with jeers after winning her seat
Jess Phillips branded the campaign for her Birmingham Yardley seat "the worst election I have ever stood in", as she was booed and jeered by pro-Palestinian supporters.
Appearing on BBC News, looking tired, she told the broadcaster that her campaign against George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain had been "pretty gruesome".
"It's been pretty gruelling here, I'm afraid to say some of my opponents did not reflect at all the manner in which some of my constituents behaved which was with decorum and class."
The Birmingham Yardley constituency has been held by Ms Phillips since 2015, however her majority is now just 693.
The Midlands MP was interrupted by shouts of “Jody, Jody” - in support of the her rival Jody McIntyre - and “free Palestine”, as well as “shame on you”.
Ms Phillips sniped: “I see we’re going to continue with the class that we had during the campaign… I understand that a strong woman standing up to you is met with such reticence.”
She thanked West Midlands Police for their response to the “aggression that we have suffered” during the campaign, concluding: “I didn’t bring my children here tonight, because I knew this would happen and they deserve better.”
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In another result where the war in Gaza played a role, Independent candidate Faiza Shaheen blamed Labour for letting former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith win in Chingford and Woodford Green, saying the vote was split between her and her Labour challenger.
Ms Shaheen was dropped by Labour as its candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green after liking a series of posts on social media platform X that allegedly downplayed antisemitism allegations.
She wrote on X: “Our vote was a combination of those appalled by how I was treated, those who took issue with having an imposed candidate who didn’t know us, those who were never going to vote Labour after Starmer’s stance on Gaza, and those that have never voted before.
“Labour split the vote the moment they deselected me.”
Nonetheless, Labour have stormed to a stonking majority, while the Tories havee suffered a devastating defeat. Rishi Sunak held onto his seat, however former PM Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Tory leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt have all lost.
