Who are the UK's five pro-Palestinian independent MPs?

British voters elected five pro-Palestinian independent MPs last week in a surprise result.

The lawmakers were all endorsed by The Muslim Vote, a campaign group that mobilised the Muslim community around candidates outside the Labour and Conservative parties.

Muslim Vote coordinator Abubakr Nanabawa told The New Arab last week that it was a "historic moment".

It had been clear during the election campaign that Palestine was a key issue for some voters, though the number of independents elected still came as a shock to some. 

Jeremy Corbyn

The best known of the five independents is Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran left-winger who led the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020.

Corbyn won his re-election in the London seat of Islington North, which he has represented since 1983, with 24,120 votes.

On election day, he said that Palestine was "on the ballot".

"If you re-elect me as an independent MP in Islington North, I promise to always stand up for the people of Gaza, and for the only path to a just and lasting peace: an end to the occupation of Palestine," he added.

Adnan Hussain

Adnan Hussain, a lawyer, won his seat in Blackburn in northern England with 10,518 votes, just 132 more than Labour's candidate, Kate Hollern.

There had been concerns the pro-Palestinian vote in opposition to Labour would be split, with Workers Party of Britain candidate Craig Murray also running in the constituency.

Murray came in third place, with 7,105 ballots cast in his favour.

He had accepted a suggestion by Muslim media outlet 5Pillars that a coin toss take place to decide which of the two men should step down.

Hussain rejected the idea. "This has to be done seriously. I'm not a man who plays games or tricks," he said.

Shockat Adam

Shockat Adam, an optometrist, won in Leicester South in central England, taking the seat off Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth by a margin of less than 1,000 votes.

"We as a city have done this. We as a city are a shining example to the rest of the world, that it is [the] people that matter, not the people that rule over us," Adam said in a speech after winning.

"A voice for the voiceless. It's very small. It brings nothing to those across the world, and it's a humble token, a humble gesture."

"This is for the people of Gaza," he said, raising a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.

Ayoub Khan

Ayoub Khan, a lawyer and local councillor, was elected last week as the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr in central England.

He left the Liberal Democrats and ran in the general election as an independent candidate.

According to local media in Birmingham, Khan quit the Liberal Democrats after he said he was told he could only be the MP for Perry Barr if he agreed to be silent and "hush up" over Gaza.

Khan took the seat of Birmingham Perry Barr off Labour's Khalid Mahmood, who had represented the area since 2001, by 507 votes.

Iqbal Mohamed

Iqbal Mohamed won the new seat of Dewsbury and Batley with a sizeable margin of victory, beating out Labour's Heather Iqbal by 6,934 votes.

He said he was victorious in the seat not only given his position on Gaza but because of "combination of several things", the BBC reported.

"The people have woken up. They are now looking at what these parties and previous politicians have or have not done and they are making informed decisions," he told Muslim media outlet Hyphen.