‘You’re explicitly saying that I’m under arrest right now?’

Our first of two editions taking you inside the local elections

Dear Millers — our reporters were up until very late last night at election counts across Greater Manchester, but the biggest story might be brewing this afternoon. There are increasing murmurs that Luthfur Rahman, the man who came within a whisker of becoming the leader of Manchester City Council, and now serves as deputy leader, may lose his seat in Longsight to a candidate from George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain. Reporters Jack Dulhanty and Libby Elliott are at the count right now, and we’ll drop into your inbox tomorrow morning with news of that result and others across the city.

But there’s enough to be getting on with today. Below we have news of a major blow to Labour in Oldham, where Mollie spent last night speaking to councillors and candidates as the party lost control of a council that it dominated just a few years ago. And we also have a very entertaining — and also rather concerning — report from south Manchester, where Jack witnessed candidates seemingly breaking electoral law and getting chased on foot by police officers.

As always, you’ll need to be a paying Mill member to get all of our coverage today and tomorrow. But trust us, it’s going to be worth it…

---

Your Mill briefing

🗳 Labour lost control of Oldham Council overnight, after the independents claimed five seats. It’s one of the party’s only major setbacks during a set of elections in which the country’s local authorities have been getting redder and redder. There’s been a general trend across the country that Labour has done worse in areas with high Muslim populations, suggesting that Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial stance on the war in Gaza has hurt the party. This is likely to have been a key factor in the Oldham result, although as Mill readers know, there is a lot more going on in the borough, where Labour has been sustaining losses for several years now. As one journalist put it on Twitter, it’s “worth reading waaaaaay deeper into Oldham politics”, linking to one of our long reads about the influence of local activist Raja Miah and his allegations about grooming gangs and council cover-ups. Labour leader Arooj Shah says a “pattern of divisiveness” has been key in Oldham, and Luke Tryl from the think tank More in Common shared a graph showing how independents won both in Oldham’s Muslim and non-Muslim areas, suggesting that “anti-establishment messaging” contributed to Labour’s losses. We’ll have more on this in Part Two of our local elections coverage tomorrow.

🟡 Over in Stockport, Labour lost two seats in Cheadle to the Lib Dems, meaning Labour leader David Meller is the only remaining Labour councillor in the area, but the Lib Dems fell short of taking control of the council. The Conservatives didn’t manage to win any seats, meaning they will continue to have no presence on the council (they lost all their seats last year). Elsewhere, the Edgeley Community Association, an independent party started by ex-Labour councillor Matt Wynne, successfully defended their seat that was being contested this time. The Greens, and the nearly 100-year-old Heald Green Ratepayers group, also defended their seats. The most remarkable win of the night was Labour’s Karl Marx gaining a seat in Brinnington. No, really. We are desperately trying to get an interview with the new councillor — if you have Karl Marx’s number, please send it over.

🔴 And in Bolton, the leading Labour group lost two seats. It leaves the party in minority control, which Labour insiders predicted speaking to The Mill a few weeks ago. Gaza was a factor, although the local Conservatives are saying Labour’s loss also reflects dwindling confidence in local leadership, given how well the party is doing in national polls. Only three out of nine independent candidates won seats this year, suggesting the local electorate is losing interest in the hyperlocal parties Bolton has become known for. The Greens also had their first ever win in the borough.

📉 Co-op Live’s chaotic spiral continues. Bosses had to cancel a show just minutes before it started, this week, posting: “Due to a venue-related technical issue, tonight’s A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show will no longer go ahead. We kindly ask fans to leave the area.” The MEN reported the gig was cancelled after part of an air conditioning unit fell from the arena’s gantry. Since Wednesday’s cancellation, the venue has also postponed shows by Olivia Rodrigo on May 3 and 4 May. It continues to blame an “on-going venue-related technical issue”. In response to the chaos, Take That and Boogie Wit Da Hoodie have switched their five-night show to the Co-op Live’s rival, the AO Arena. One angry parent said their daughter had already paid for travel and accommodation to see A Boogie wit Da Hoodie. “This place needs shutting down,” she said. Well, it needs to open first.

Help us out: We’re writing a piece about what’s going on at Spinningfields after quite a few high-profile companies have moved out. If you know anything, drop Daniel a line: daniel@millmediaco.uk 

---

I went to cover a close election race in south Manchester. The police beat me to it

By Jack Dulhanty

By the time I get there, two police vans are parked outside the polling station on Meldon Road, in Rusholme. The area’s Labour councillors Rabnawaz Akbar and Jill Lovecy (the latter of whom is up for reelection) are standing opposite. Down the road from them is Naznin Hussain, representing George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain, and on the other side of the road to her is her husband, with a few officers. 

This stand-off follows an alleged breach of electoral law. According to a polling agent, the following occurred: Hussain and her Workers Party team were in the polling station, speaking to voters before they cast their votes — a form of campaigning which, in a polling station and the area surrounding it, is illegal.

However, that isn’t why the police were called. Allegedly, aggression from those working with Hussain towards Labour people and polling station staff reached its peak when Hussain’s husband called Labour councillor Ahmed Ali a “fucking prick”. Police arrived and settled the dispute, then those involved were left in the awkward setup I found, scattered across the street staring at each other. “I don’t know what juice George is feeding them,” one agent says. Apparently, it was after this that police informed Hussain that her actions were against the rules. 

Nazmin says that Labour staff “bullied and intimidated her”. Saying that she was only helping voters who didn’t have good English vote. She and her husband say they were provoked by Labour councillors and agents. Although her husband did admit to calling someone a prick.

The row is in step with the last few weeks of campaigning in south Manchester, in which the arrival of George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain has well and truly stirred the pot and has left Labour looking vulnerable. I originally came to the area to write about Longsight, where some Labour councillors fear Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s Deputy Leader, might lose his seat to Shahbaz Sarwar, the Workers Party Candidate. The Workers Party have campaigned hard in the area, to the point that Labour reportedly redirected resources there to support Rahman at the last minute.