So near and yet so far: these are the Independent candidates who almost won seats in the 2024 general election.

Vox Political supported these candidates and This Writer was sorry to see them fail – but some of these stories are heroic and worth commemorating.

Top of the list has to be Leanne Mohamad, who came within 529 votes of removing Wes Streeting from his Ilford North Parliamentary seat.

Here’s her statement, as posted on X:

Yesterday we stood against the two-party nightmare and nearly won, falling short by only 528 votes, I received 15,119 and the Labour Party’s Wes Streeting 15,647. He had all the money and party machinery behind him. We built a beautiful people-powered movement.

To stay updated… pic.twitter.com/icGfXRZCnL

— Leanne Mohamad (@LeanneMohamad) July 5, 2024

She wrote:

Yesterday, we stood against the two-party nightmare and nearly won, falling short by only 528 votes. I received 15,119 and the labour Party’s Wes Streeting 15,647. He had all the money and party machinery behind him. We built a people-powered movement from the ground up and brought people together. I want to thank my wonderful volunteers, who traveled from near and far to help me.

Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. I would also like to thank my friend and campaign manager Salma for running such a professional campaign.

What we did in Ilford North will be remembered for many years.

For my opponent, Wes Streeting, it was a pyrrhic victory, in a campaign where he toured the country at the expense of engaging with his constituents. We all know Wes needs to find a narrative that absolves himself of his shocking performance in this election, his inadequacies as a local MP and his lamentable position on the Gaza genocide. My community will continue to hold him to account.

We ran a hopeful campaign. My incredible team and I spent the past six weeks knocking on doors and engaging in tens of thousands of conversations with my friends and neighbours in Ilford North. We ran a campaign that was positive and uplifting and brought our communities closer together.

While the political establishment, Labour and Tory, seeks to divide us, I have shown that elections can be fought on the basis of hope, not fear.

Also second – in Holborn & St Pancras, where Keir Starmer won, meaning this result could have made a huge difference – was Andrew Feinstein.

H&SP, an 18% swing to us! We’ve always said, whatever the outcome, we’re not going anywhere.

We’ve created an incredible, grassroots campaign. It’s the beginning of a community movement that will continue to build long after tonight.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us

— Andrew Feinstein for Holborn & St Pancras (@AF4HSP) July 5, 2024

Here’s Craig Murray’s statement, after losing in Blackburn:

Well, I could not possibly have had a better team who came together starting from 5 weeks ago, when there were 3 of us and no resources except your crowdfunding.
We told our truth and I am so proud of them. Sorry if I let you down.
Love.

— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) July 5, 2024

After Labour controversially dropped her as the party’s candidate in Chingford and Woodford Green, Faiza Shaheen stood as an Independent candidate. Sadly, she came third, behind the Labour candidate who replaced her and the Tory incumbent, Iain Duncan Smith.

That’s right. Because Labour dumped Ms Shaheen, Iain Duncan Smith was returned to Parliament. This triggered some discontent:

You really are an utterly shameless man, aren’t you.

The goons you blindly cheer on purged her, humiliated her in the Murdoch press, and cited her calling out her experiences of Islamophobia as evidence.

Your heroes did this. This is on them. Own it. https://t.co/EIltt6fpan

— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) July 5, 2024

Yep. As I said at the time, they would rather IDS than a socialist, especially one that supports Palestinians

— Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) July 5, 2024

Ms Shaheen also had this to say:

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…

— Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) July 5, 2024

In Harrow West, Pamela Fitzpatrick came third. She stated:

When people realise that Labour offers no change and that we are in for 5 more years of austerity, more privatisation, no solution to the housing crisis and failure to genuinely oppose genocide there will be a deepening of the anger towards Labour. We will continue the fight. https://t.co/UnkEqMWN9S

— Pamela Fitzpatrick (@pamelafitz4HW) July 6, 2024

These were all great candidates who deserved to do better.

Sadly, our politicians had devalued the system so badly, in the eyes of voters, that nearly two-fifths of the electorate could not bring themselves to visit their local polling station.

If they had been properly informed, and knew that there were genuine choices available to them, matters might have been different. But then, that’s probably why they weren’t.

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