Defence Committee chair warns of threat to UK democracy posed by sectarian activists exploiting Gaza

The chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee has warned that independent candidates exploiting foreign policy issues like Gaza for sectarian purposes pose a threat to UK democracy.

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough, spoke out about the “abuse and intimidation” he endured during the last general election, when he faced a challenge from Azhar Chohan, a former caseworker who ran as an independent pro-Gaza candidate.

Dhesi was re-elected, but his majority dropped sharply from 17,000 to 3,600.

Dhesi accused Chohan of seeking to “weaponise” the Gaza conflict, citing a video from the 2023 campaign in which a Chohan supporter outside a local mosque urged people not to accept Dhesi’s leaflets, declaring, “We don’t care about housing, about education… we only care about Palestine.”

According to Dhesi, the independent campaign aimed to prevent opponents from sharing their message with voters.

He told The House magazine, “This is a real threat to our democracy. We need to wake up to this.”

Dhesi also warned of growing “internal threats” to this country from those individuals holding views he described as “far from patriotic” and “far from wanting the best foir Britain.”

Dhesi, who in 2017 became the UK’s first turban-wearing Sikh MP, said the recent election campaign underscored the need for vigilance against sectarian tactics in politics.

He described the last general election as the “most toxic” event he had been involved with.