Sadiq Khan
Encyclopedia
Sadiq Aman Khan is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tooting
since 2005
, succeeding Tom Cox
as the Labour MP for the seat. He is currently the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (with responsibility for political and constitutional reform) since 8 October 2010.
He had been Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Jack Straw
and was a member of the Public Accounts Committee. He had been a government whip
with responsibilities for the justice department
. But following the Cabinet Reshuffle of the 3 October 2008, Khan was promoted to be Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. This was followed by a promotion to Minister of State for Transport
in June 2009 and an appointment to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
. He became Shadow Secretary of State for Transport when Lord Adonis stood down from the position following the Labour Party's election defeat in May 2010.
Following Gordon Brown's resignation as leader of the Labour Party he ran Ed Miliband's successful campaign to become leader of the Labour Party. In October 2010, he was elected to Shadow Cabinet
, and appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
in Ed Miliband
's first Shadow Cabinet. He shadows Ken Clarke but assists Harriet Harman
during Deputy Prime Minister's Questions against Nick Clegg
and his team.
He is regularly named as one of the most top 100 most influential London politicians in the Evening Standard's annual poll of the most influential 1000 Londoners.
, to a family of Pakistan
i immigrants. His father worked as a bus driver
. He grew up in a council flat on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield
, and attended Fircroft Primary and Ernest Bevin
Schools, before going to the University of North London
to study law
.
He was a visiting lecturer at the University of North London
, and a former governor of South Thames FE College. Khan was Chair of Liberty
(NCCL) and has been Vice Chair of Legal Action Group (LAG).
He has been married since 1994 and has two daughters. Khan is also a keen follower of sport and a supporter of both Liverpool FC
and Surrey County Cricket Club
.
for three years.
He completed the Law Society finals at the College of Law in Guildford and trained as a human rights solicitor at Christian Fisher. He later founded the firm Christian Khan with Louise Christian
.
He specialised in actions against the police, employment and discrimination law, judicial reviews, inquests and crime, and was involved in a number of landmark cases including the following:
in the London Borough of Wandsworth
from 1994–2006, representing Tooting ward. He was made an Honorary Alderman
of the Borough of Wandsworth
in 2006.
decided to open its parliamentary selection to all interested candidates, including the incumbent MP since 1970, Tom Cox
. This prompted Cox, in his mid 70s, to announce his retirement rather than risk deselection. In the subsequent selection contest, Khan beat five other local candidates to become Labour's Parliamentary candidate. After his election to Parliament in 2005, Khan remained a councillor until the May 2006 council elections.
Khan was awarded 'Newcomer of the Year' by the Spectator
Magazine Parliamentarian of the Year awards 2005 "for the tough-mindedness and clarity with which he has spoken about the very difficult issues of Islamic terror". In August 2006, he was a signatory of an open letter to Tony Blair
criticising the UK's foreign policy.
On 3 February 2008, The Sunday Times
claimed that a conversation between Khan and prisoner Babar Ahmad (a friend and constituent) at Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes
was bugged by the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch
. An inquiry was launched by Justice Secretary Jack Straw
. There was some concern that the bugging contravened the Wilson Doctrine
that police should not bug MPs. The report concluded that the Doctrine did not apply because it was ordered by a police officer and not an MP.
On 6 May 2010, Khan was re-elected as MP for Tooting despite a swing of 3.6% and a halving of his previous majority, facing Mark Clarke of the Conservatives, getting a total of 22,038 votes.
In the 2010 Labour leadership election, Khan was an early backer of Ed Miliband, and later became his campaign manager. He masterminded Miliband's shock win over his older brother David, and has been tipped as a rising star of the Labour Party, jumping 82 places in one year to 16th in The Daily Telegraph's 'top 100 most influential left-wingers' poll. He has been rewarded with the post of shadow Lord Chancellor and justice secretary.
at the Department of Communities and Local Government, replacing Parmjit Dhanda
. In January 2009, in the House of Commons, Khan criticised the Pope for the rehabilitation of Richard Williamson following his remarks about the holocaust a move he described as "highly unsavoury" and of "great concern".
In 2009, he became the first Muslim to attend (when his ministerial responsibilities were on the agenda) the Cabinet
upon his appointment as Minister of State for Transport
, a role in which he was the primary minister for his department in the Commons because the Secretary of State, Lord Adonis
, sat in the Lords. In what is believed to be a first for an MP, Khan used Twitter
to announce his promotion to Transport Minister.
In March 2010, he publicly stated that for the second year in a row he would not be taking a payrise as MP or Minister of State for Transport, saying "At a time when many people in Tooting and throughout the country are having to accept pay freezes I don't think it's appropriate for MPs to accept a pay rise."
promoted Khan on 14 May 2010 to Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, making him a Shadow Cabinet attendee. After running Ed Miliband
's successful leadership campaign, Khan was elected to the Shadow Cabinet
with 128 votes. Miliband appointed him Shadow Lord Chancellor
and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
, giving him responsibility for shadowing a department in which he previously served as a junior minister.
, Eid
, and birthday cards for constituents. Under Commons rules, pre-paid envelopes and official stationery can only be used for official parliamentary business. Khan's claim for the birthday cards was initially rejected, but he presented a new invoice no longer identifying the nature of the claim, and this was accepted. Khan apologised for breaking the expenses rules.
Khan had previously had to repay £500 in expenses in 2007 in relation to a newsletter sent out constituents featuring a 'Labour rose', which was deemed to be unduly prominent. While the content of the newsletter was not deemed to be party political, the rose logo was found to be unduly prominent which may have had the effect of promoting a political party. The rules were retrospectively changed disallowing the claim, which had previously been approved by the House of Commons Authorities.
He is also Chair of the Fabian Society
, and in 2009 won the prestigious Jenny Jeger award for best Fabian pamphlet, for his publication 'Fairness not Favours: How to re-connect with British Muslims'.
|-
|-
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Tooting
Tooting (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- See also :* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater London* London Borough of Wandsworth-External links:****...
since 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, succeeding Tom Cox
Tom Cox
Thomas Michael Cox is a retired Labour party politician in the United Kingdom.Cox was educated at state schools and the London School of Economics after which, according to his entry in Who's Who, he became an "electrical worker"...
as the Labour MP for the seat. He is currently the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (with responsibility for political and constitutional reform) since 8 October 2010.
He had been Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
and was a member of the Public Accounts Committee. He had been a government whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
with responsibilities for the justice department
Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
. But following the Cabinet Reshuffle of the 3 October 2008, Khan was promoted to be Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. This was followed by a promotion to Minister of State for Transport
Minister of State for Transport
The Minister of State for Transport is a junior ministerial position in the Department for Transport of the Government of the United Kingdom. The current Minister of State for Transport is Theresa Villiers MP.-Ministers of State for Transport:-References:...
in June 2009 and an appointment to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. He became Shadow Secretary of State for Transport when Lord Adonis stood down from the position following the Labour Party's election defeat in May 2010.
Following Gordon Brown's resignation as leader of the Labour Party he ran Ed Miliband's successful campaign to become leader of the Labour Party. In October 2010, he was elected to Shadow Cabinet
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.A separate election for...
, and appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
In British politics the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who shadows the Secretary of State for Justice, an office which has existed since 2007. Prior to 2007, the office was known as Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs...
in Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's first Shadow Cabinet. He shadows Ken Clarke but assists Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
during Deputy Prime Minister's Questions against Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
and his team.
He is regularly named as one of the most top 100 most influential London politicians in the Evening Standard's annual poll of the most influential 1000 Londoners.
Early life
Khan was born in 1970 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to a family of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i immigrants. His father worked as a bus driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
. He grew up in a council flat on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield
Earlsfield
Earlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, England.Earlsfield is a typical London suburb and comprises mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars, and restaurants between Garratt Lane, Allfarthing Lane, and Burntwood Lane...
, and attended Fircroft Primary and Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin College
Ernest Bevin College is a specialist college in Tooting, London, England. The school is all-boys for ages 11 through 18, but has a co-educational sixth form. It has about 1173 pupils.-History:...
Schools, before going to the University of North London
University of North London
The University of North London was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with London Guildhall University to form London Metropolitan University. The former University of North London premises now form the new university's north campus, situated on...
to study law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
He was a visiting lecturer at the University of North London
University of North London
The University of North London was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with London Guildhall University to form London Metropolitan University. The former University of North London premises now form the new university's north campus, situated on...
, and a former governor of South Thames FE College. Khan was Chair of Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
(NCCL) and has been Vice Chair of Legal Action Group (LAG).
He has been married since 1994 and has two daughters. Khan is also a keen follower of sport and a supporter of both Liverpool FC
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
.
Legal career
Before entering parliament in 2005, Khan was a leading human rights solicitor and chair of the civil liberties pressure group LibertyLiberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
for three years.
He completed the Law Society finals at the College of Law in Guildford and trained as a human rights solicitor at Christian Fisher. He later founded the firm Christian Khan with Louise Christian
Louise Christian
Louise Christian is an award-winning British human rights lawyer.She is a frequent contributor to The Guardian.She is the author or co-author of several books.She is the daughter of Jack and Maureen Christian....
.
He specialised in actions against the police, employment and discrimination law, judicial reviews, inquests and crime, and was involved in a number of landmark cases including the following:
- Bubbins vs The United Kingdom (European Court of Human Rights - shooting of an unarmed individual by police marksmen)
- HSU and Thompson v Met Police (wrongful arrest/police damages)
- Reeves v Met Police (duty of care to prisoners)
- Murray v CAB (discrimination)
- Ahmed v University of Oxford (racial discrimination against a student)
- Dr Jadhav v Secretary of State for Health (racial discrimination in the employment of Indian doctors by the health service)
- CI Logan v Met Police (racial discrimination)
- Supt DizaeiAli DizaeiJamshid Ali Dizaei is a Commander in London's Metropolitan Police Service. Iranian-born with dual nationality, and formerly one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers, he came to prominence as a result of his outspoken views on racial discrimination in the London Metropolitan Police and...
v Met Police (police damages, discrimination) - Inquest into the death of David Rocky Bennett (use of restraints)
- Lead solicitor on Mayday demonstration 2001 test case litigation (Human Right Act)
- Farakhan v Home Secretary (Human Rights Act)
- In February 2000, Khan represented a group of Kurdish actors who were arrested by Metropolitan Police during a rehearsal of the Harold Pinter play 'Mountain Language', securing £150,000 in damages for the group for wrongful arrest and the trauma caused by their arrest.
- Mcdowell and Taylor v Met Police: Leroy McDowell and his friend Wayne Taylor, who both suffer from the blood disorder sickle cell anaemia, successfully sued the Metropolitan Police for assault and false imprisonment.
Councillor
Khan was a CouncillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
in the London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
from 1994–2006, representing Tooting ward. He was made an Honorary Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the Borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
in 2006.
Member of Parliament
In 2003, Tooting Constituency Labour PartyConstituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
decided to open its parliamentary selection to all interested candidates, including the incumbent MP since 1970, Tom Cox
Tom Cox
Thomas Michael Cox is a retired Labour party politician in the United Kingdom.Cox was educated at state schools and the London School of Economics after which, according to his entry in Who's Who, he became an "electrical worker"...
. This prompted Cox, in his mid 70s, to announce his retirement rather than risk deselection. In the subsequent selection contest, Khan beat five other local candidates to become Labour's Parliamentary candidate. After his election to Parliament in 2005, Khan remained a councillor until the May 2006 council elections.
Khan was awarded 'Newcomer of the Year' by the Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
Magazine Parliamentarian of the Year awards 2005 "for the tough-mindedness and clarity with which he has spoken about the very difficult issues of Islamic terror". In August 2006, he was a signatory of an open letter to Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
criticising the UK's foreign policy.
On 3 February 2008, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
claimed that a conversation between Khan and prisoner Babar Ahmad (a friend and constituent) at Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
was bugged by the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch
Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch
The Anti-Terrorist Branch was a Specialist Operations branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service, formed to respond to terrorist activities within the capital....
. An inquiry was launched by Justice Secretary Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
. There was some concern that the bugging contravened the Wilson Doctrine
Wilson Doctrine
The Wilson Doctrine is a ban on the tapping of UK MPs' and Peers' telephones introduced in 1966 and named after Harold Wilson, the Labour Prime Minister who established the rule.- Introduction :...
that police should not bug MPs. The report concluded that the Doctrine did not apply because it was ordered by a police officer and not an MP.
On 6 May 2010, Khan was re-elected as MP for Tooting despite a swing of 3.6% and a halving of his previous majority, facing Mark Clarke of the Conservatives, getting a total of 22,038 votes.
In the 2010 Labour leadership election, Khan was an early backer of Ed Miliband, and later became his campaign manager. He masterminded Miliband's shock win over his older brother David, and has been tipped as a rising star of the Labour Party, jumping 82 places in one year to 16th in The Daily Telegraph's 'top 100 most influential left-wingers' poll. He has been rewarded with the post of shadow Lord Chancellor and justice secretary.
In government
Following Gordon Brown's cabinet reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Khan was made to be a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateParliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the Department of Communities and Local Government, replacing Parmjit Dhanda
Parmjit Dhanda
Parmjit Singh Dhanda is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Gloucester from 2001 to 2010, succeeding Tess Kingham as the Labour MP for the seat...
. In January 2009, in the House of Commons, Khan criticised the Pope for the rehabilitation of Richard Williamson following his remarks about the holocaust a move he described as "highly unsavoury" and of "great concern".
In 2009, he became the first Muslim to attend (when his ministerial responsibilities were on the agenda) the Cabinet
Brown Ministry
Gordon Brown took office as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 and formed his Government. It ended, upon his resignation, on 11 May 2010. In his inaugural cabinet Brown appointed the UKs first female Home Secretary Jacqui Smith....
upon his appointment as Minister of State for Transport
Minister of State for Transport
The Minister of State for Transport is a junior ministerial position in the Department for Transport of the Government of the United Kingdom. The current Minister of State for Transport is Theresa Villiers MP.-Ministers of State for Transport:-References:...
, a role in which he was the primary minister for his department in the Commons because the Secretary of State, Lord Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis is a British academic, journalist, Labour Party politician and Life Peer, who was Secretary of State for Transport between 2009-2010....
, sat in the Lords. In what is believed to be a first for an MP, Khan used Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to announce his promotion to Transport Minister.
In March 2010, he publicly stated that for the second year in a row he would not be taking a payrise as MP or Minister of State for Transport, saying "At a time when many people in Tooting and throughout the country are having to accept pay freezes I don't think it's appropriate for MPs to accept a pay rise."
In opposition
Harriet HarmanHarriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
promoted Khan on 14 May 2010 to Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, making him a Shadow Cabinet attendee. After running Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's successful leadership campaign, Khan was elected to the Shadow Cabinet
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.A separate election for...
with 128 votes. Miliband appointed him Shadow Lord Chancellor
Shadow Lord Chancellor
In British politics the Shadow Lord Chancellor is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who shadows the Lord Chancellor, an office which has existed since the Norman Conquest. From 2003 until 2007, the office-holder was also the Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs...
and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
In British politics the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who shadows the Secretary of State for Justice, an office which has existed since 2007. Prior to 2007, the office was known as Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs...
, giving him responsibility for shadowing a department in which he previously served as a junior minister.
Expenses
In April 2010 it was revealed that Khan had repaid wrongly claimed expenses on two further occasions. The first incident concerned letters sent out before the General Election which were ruled to have the 'unintentional effect of promoting his return to office', the second a £2,550 repayment for ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Eid
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
, and birthday cards for constituents. Under Commons rules, pre-paid envelopes and official stationery can only be used for official parliamentary business. Khan's claim for the birthday cards was initially rejected, but he presented a new invoice no longer identifying the nature of the claim, and this was accepted. Khan apologised for breaking the expenses rules.
Khan had previously had to repay £500 in expenses in 2007 in relation to a newsletter sent out constituents featuring a 'Labour rose', which was deemed to be unduly prominent. While the content of the newsletter was not deemed to be party political, the rose logo was found to be unduly prominent which may have had the effect of promoting a political party. The rules were retrospectively changed disallowing the claim, which had previously been approved by the House of Commons Authorities.
Other roles
Khan is a governor of Fircroft School and of Gatton School, both are in Tooting.He is also Chair of the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
, and in 2009 won the prestigious Jenny Jeger award for best Fabian pamphlet, for his publication 'Fairness not Favours: How to re-connect with British Muslims'.
External links
- Sadiq Khan MP official site
|-
|-