“Politicians are all talk and no action”: Voters along the Curry Mile share concerns ahead of the election

With the general election almost upon us, the Manchester Evening News took to Manchester’s Curry Mile to gauge the mood there.

Thought to have the highest concentration of South Asian restaurants in the UK, it is a lively, vibrant area teeming with cafes, restaurants, dessert spots and Islamic stores.

But in amongst the shop windows, filled with glittering fabrics in a rainbow of colours, the plates piled high with golden baklava, the roar of buses and traffic heaving past and the scents of 50 different cuisines in the air, there is a feeling that’s impossible to ignore: a political ambivalence bordering on confusion.

Many people the M.E.N spoke to either did not know when the election would be, who the candidates were or who they were voting for, if at all. Many did not feel confident discussing politics, partially due to a language barrier.

Many restaurants were emblazoned with a prominent sign outside promoting the Labour candidate, Afzal Khan. Previously a part of Manchester Gorton, the area has been represented by a Labour MP since 1935.

But inside those same restaurants were flyers for the Workers Party of Britain (WPB) candidate, Mohhamed Bilal. The party, who have campaigned heavily on their pro-Palestine stance, are expected to pick up votes in the area and a WPB candidate ousted Labour councillor Lutfur Rahman at the local elections in May by just 185 votes.

Labour’s perceived hesitance to condemn the Israeli military action in Gaza is expected to cause them problems in areas with significant Muslim populations - of which the Curry Mile is one.

At Gaza Barbers, the conflict was weighing heavily on the owner’s mind. Like many the M.E.N spoke to, he seemed disillusioned by the main parties: “They both stand