Police failed to intervene when the family of Shabana Mahmood, now the justice secretary, and her supporters faced intimidation during this year’s general election campaign, Labour has told the elections watchdog.
In a document seen by the Guardian, party officials said officers from West Midlands police left the count on polling day before Mahmood, a close ally of Keir Starmer, and members of her family were barracked by political opponents in the seat of Birmingham Ladywood.
The alleged incidents happened amid a tense campaign between Mahmood and Akhmed Yakoob, the solicitor who campaigned primarily against Labour’s policies on Israel-Palestine.
Officers declined on three occasions to intervene after intimidation of Mahmood’s canvassers by supporters of Yakoob, the submission to the Electoral Commission said. It is also claimed that a Labour canvasser who was a black woman was told by a Yakoob supporter she should not be in a mainly Asian area because the residents were “not her people”.
The document, written by Labour officials in Mahmood’s constituency, paints a picture of seven tense confrontations with political opponents in the central Birmingham constituency in the weeks leading up to 4 July, particularly in areas dominated by communities of Pakistani and Kashmiri descent.
It comes as a report from the Electoral Commission released on Wednesday found that more than half of candidates (55%) in the general election and the May local elections said they were abused or intimidated during the election campaign, with women and ethnic minorities particularly targeted.
On Tuesday 25 June, it is alleged in the document that Shabana’s father, Mahmood Ahmed, was one of a group of canvassers who called the police after being verbally abused by a supporter of Yakoob.
“When police officers arrived some time later, rather than addressing the individual who had been harassing the activists, they attempted to disperse everyone from the street,” the document compiled by the constituency party claims.
Two days later, Mahmood was forced to abandon plans to canvass a street after a young man confronted the MP and her allies, demanding that the men “shave their beards” – the implication being that they were not proper Muslims because they were Labour supporters. “A close protection officer escorted Shabana into a car and she was driven away,” the document said.
Labour canvassers were also allegedly followed by supporters of Yakoob who were driving in a truck with a digital screen bearing Yakoob’s image. Through a microphone, a Yakoob supporter shouted “blood on your hands”, “genocide-enablers” and “Allah will judge you”, the document alleged. After a complaint was lodged “the police responded by stating that he was exercising his right to free speech” the document said.
In another incident, this time on 30 June, Labour canvassers claimed they were abused by two men, one of whom “approached an activist aggressively with a large dog and threatened: ‘See what happens now, I’m calling people down’.”
The canvassers called the police, but abandoned the door-to-door session. “One [police] officer informed the canvassing group that Alum Rock was a ‘high crime area’ and suggested we should be aware of the risks involved,” the document said.
While canvassing in Newtown ward, supporters of Yakoob began filming Labour activists while using “abusive language”, the document claims.
“One of the opposition activists made a remark to a Black Labour party activist, suggesting that she should not be canvassing in this area because the residents were ‘not her people’ and, therefore, would not support the Labour party,” the document said.
Labour activists were shocked on the night of the election to see that West Midlands police left the count before the declaration, despite persistent tensions throughout the campaign.
“The returning officer called emergency services to request a police presence due to safety concerns for the candidate … it was unprecedented for emergency services to be called to facilitate a declaration,” the document said.
Yakoob, 37, a criminal defence lawyer with a large social media following, is facing an investigation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority after he used social media to promote a false claim of racism against a young teacher.
Akhmed Yakoob at his campaign office on Alum Rock Road. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
The probe was triggered by a video promoted by Yakoob to his thousands of followers on TikTok, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and other platforms.
He has previously shared videos in support of Andrew Tate, the influencer awaiting charges of trafficking and rape in Romania. In a podcast aired in March, Yakoob said: “Everyone has got a role in society, everyone has got a role in the household. In my household, I’m the man, I’m the king.
“It’s natural for men to be attracted to females, so keep our queens at home.”
Yakoob has been approached for a comment.
Mahmood regained the seat but saw her 28,000 majority cut to about 3,000.
A spokesperson for West Midlands police said the force was aware of “a number of allegations” relating to the general election.
“A number of the matters were dealt with during the campaign, with people being spoken to at the time and crimes recorded and investigated where appropriate,” a spokesperson said.
“Other matters are the subject of an ongoing review involving other agencies and enquiries continue.
“Throughout the campaign, our priority was to ensure public safety and the integrity of the democratic process.
“We were in touch with candidates throughout the run-up to the election.”
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said there was “unacceptable abuse and intimidation of some candidates”, including incidents in Birmingham. In its report, the commission calls for police to treat allegations and cases of election-related intimidation seriously.
Vijay Rangarajan, the watchdog’s chief executive, said: “The level of harassment and intimidation faced by candidates is particularly concerning, and requires urgent and coordinated action.”
