Jody McIntyre seems to have a clear run at unseating Jess Phillips as independent candidates have decided to step aside in Birmingham's Yardley constituency. Mr McIntyre, a pro-Palestine and equality activist, is standing for the Workers Party of Britain.
He took to X/Twitter late on Wednesday evening (5th June) to announce:
All other independent candidates have agreed to stand down in Birmingham Yardley for the sake of a united campaign to unseat Labour Friend of Israel Jess Phillips. Our chances of causing the political shock of the century have just received a huge boost, but we need more volunteers if we want to win. Contact jodyforyardley@gmail.com and join us on the streets. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Jody McIntyre
Mr McIntyre's motivation to unseat Jess Phillips appears to be based on the belief that she is a member of Labour Friends of Isreal.
Mr McIntyre's crowd funding page has the following introduction:
My name is Jody McIntyre, and as a Birmingham resident, I was shocked and dismayed to discover that our local MP in Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, is a member of Labour Friends of Israel. For the last six months, we have witnessed tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza being brutally murdered. Yet at the same time, our local representative, Jess Phillips, is a "friend of Israel". This is unconscionable. The people of Birmingham Yardley do not support genocide, mass murder, and the deliberate starvation of a civilian population. We support equality and justice for all people. The leader of Labour, Keir Starmer, said that Israel had the right to cut off water and electricity to Gaza, and we will never forget that.
The Labour party has made a grave misjudgement on this, and Jess Phillips has made a grave misjudgement by continuing her membership of Labour Friends of Israel, even in the face of a genocide. So for that reason, at the next general election, I, Jody McIntyre, will be running for MP in Birmingham Yardley. The Labour party are responsible for supporting a genocide, and the people of Birmingham Yardley do not.
Jody McIntyre
As of today, Thursday 6th June, Jess Phillips is listed as a supporter of Labour Friends of Israel on this Wikipedia page.