Tahir Ali
Tahir Ali | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Roger Godsiff |
| Majority | 28,508 (53.9%) |
| Member of Birmingham City Council for Nechells Ward | |
| In office 10 June 2004 – 5 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Tariq Khan |
| Succeeded by | Lee Marsham |
| In office 6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003 | |
| Preceded by | T. Khan |
| Succeeded by | Tariq Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1971 Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group |
| Children | 4 |
Tahir Ali (born 15 October 1971)[1][2] is a British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Hall Green since 2019.[3]
Early life
Ali was born in Birmingham to Pakistani parents on 15 October 1971. He has previously worked for Royal Mail after securing an engineering apprenticeship at the age of 17.[1] He is an active trade unionist and served as a political officer for the Communication Workers Union.
Political career
Local government
Ali represented the Nechells Ward on Birmingham City Council from 1999 and was last re-elected in 2018 to serve until 2022, when he did not seek re-election. He served as part of the council's cabinet from 2000 to 2003 and 2012 to 2016, (shadow cabinet 2004 to 2012) his responsibilities including local services, development, jobs, skills, transport and the economy.[4] In 2012, he was the only ethnic minority member of the team.[5]
Parliament campaign
He was selected as the Hall Green candidate after Hall Green Constituency Labour Party members overwhelmingly voted to open selections for their Parliamentary Candidate in October 2019.[6] The snap general election called for 12 December meant that the candidate selection process was undertaken by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.[7]
The campaign was marred by intimidation from former MP Roger Godsiff's supporters, resulting in three police investigations, one arrest for malicious communications and police patrols outside polling stations.[8] Nevertheless, Ali retained the seat with a sizeable majority and hoped to "bring communities together".[9]
Member of Parliament
Ali endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election and Angela Rayner in the deputy leadership election.[10]
Ali has been a member of the European Scrutiny Committee since 2 March 2020.[11]
Ali has been critical of the government of Narendra Modi in India. In March 2021, Ali expressed his "absolute support for, and solidarity with, the farmers protesting in India" and called for sanctions to be imposed on the government of India, citing the "abuse the human and civil rights not only of farmers, but of Kashmiri people through the military occupation of the region".[12] Ali further said that "political opponents of Modi in India are at risk of arbitrary arrest, and the civil liberties of all Indians are being eroded by an extremist, rightwing government".[13]
On 24 February 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ali was one of 11 Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip after they signed a statement by the Stop the War Coalition which questioned the legitimacy of NATO and accused the military alliance of "eastward expansion". All 11 MPs subsequently removed their signatures.[14]
During Prime Minister's Questions on January 24, 2024, Ali stirred controversy around the Israel-Hamas War. He asserted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bore responsibility for "the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands," sparking significant public and parliamentary attention. The comment raised questions about the appropriateness of language in political discourse, especially concerning sensitive international conflicts.[15]
In response to the backlash, Tahir Ali MP issued a formal apology on the same day, expressing regret for the choice of words. While maintaining his steadfast views on the Middle East situation, he acknowledged the need to apologise for the manner in which he described the Prime Minister.[16]
Lockdown controversy
In April 2020, Ali was given a formal warning by police after he broke government restrictions by attending a funeral with up to 100 mourners during the coronavirus pandemic.[17] West Midlands Labour Party Police commissioner David Jamieson also publicly condemned Ali's conduct, stating that his actions were "totally irresponsible" and that he "is not serving his constituents by endangering their lives".[18] Ali issued an apology stating that he only attended as an observer and would not be attending any other similar gatherings.[19]
References
- ^ a b "Transport – Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
In 1989, at the age of 17, I secured an engineering apprenticeship with Royal Mail.
- ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ "Birmingham Hall Green parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC News.
- ^ Elkes, Neil (11 May 2016). "The four councillors set to be sacked from Birmingham's cabinet". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Council cabinet decision defended". 28 May 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Haynes, Jane (2 October 2019). "City MP in battle to keep seat after activists trigger contest". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ Rodgers, Sienna (9 November 2019). "Local councillor Tahir Ali selected for Birmingham Hall Green". LabourList. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Haynes, Jane (7 December 2019). "Police probe complaints over 'sinister' Hall Green election battle". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Haynes, Jane (13 December 2019). "Hall Green's new MP Tahir Ali calls for end to hate and division". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Tahir Ali MP [@TahirAliMP] (29 January 2020). "#RLB2020 for Leader #angelafordeputy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Tahir Ali MP, Birmingham, Hall Green – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Walker, Jonathan (10 March 2021). "Two Birmingham MPs call for sanctions against government of India and back farmer protests". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (10 March 2021). "MPs hit back after India summons envoy over farmers' protest debate". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Wearmouth, Rachel (24 February 2022). "11 Labour MPs threatened with suspension for signing Stop The War letter attacking NATO". Mirror. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ Ali, Tahir. "Engagements - Prime Minister's Questions".
- ^ @tahiralimp. "(1/2) Earlier at PMQs I asked the Prime Minister about the actions of Israel in Gaza. This is obviously a deeply emotive issue. While I do not resile from my strongly held views on the situation in the Middle East I would like to apologise for the way in which I described". X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ Haynes, Jane (3 April 2020). "Police issue warning to MP Tahir Ali after he attends funeral with 'up to 100 mourners'". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ Haynes, Jane (3 April 2020). "Police commissioner slams city MP for 'endangering lives' over funeral gathering". Birmingham Mail.
- ^ "Coronavirus: MP Tahir Ali apologises after funeral during lockdown". BBC News. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.