Elham Asaad Buaras
Four independent Muslim MPs have teamed up with former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to form an “Independent Alliance” in Parliament, amplifying their collective influence.
The alliance identifies itself as a “group” rather than a political party and includes Corbyn, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, and Iqbal Mohamed. With five members, the Independent Alliance is now tied as the fifth-largest group in the Commons, matching the parliamentary presence of Reform UK and the DUP, while surpassing the Greens and Plaid Cymru, who each have four MPs.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and seen by The Muslim News, the MPs informed him that, effective from “Monday, 2nd September 2024, the below five signatories have formed a technical group known as the ‘Independent Alliance’ – and will sit together in the house under this name.”
A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office, in a statement to The Muslim News, clarified that while informal cooperation between MPs is allowed, no non-party group has been formally recognised in Parliament since a 2000 law required political parties to register with the Electoral Commission. However, she noted that the Speaker has said he is “willing to refer this matter to the House’s Procedure Committee if members of the group wish.”
The primary goal of this alliance is to enhance the MPs’ ability to question and hold the government accountable on behalf of their constituents. As a group of five, they are more likely to secure question and speaking slots, including opportunities during Prime Minister’s Questions, as they now qualify for the rota designated for smaller parties. The development follows comments made by Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch on September 1, during the launch of her campaign, where she claimed that the independents were elected due to “sectarian Islamist politics, alien ideas that have no place here.”
In interviews with The Muslim News, the Muslim MPs dismissed the accusations of sectarianism. Iqbal Mohamed, MP for Dewsbury & Batley, stated, “I didn’t force myself into parliament; I didn’t bully anybody to select me. I went through a very fair and rigorous process and I was democratically selected to run for parliament.”
Ayoub Khan, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, emphasised, “My election was anything but sectarian, and it was across all sections of the community.”
Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South, responded, “To be described as ‘the Gaza MP’ by people or my predecessor—that’s their opinion. But to take it out on the electorate is a huge disrespect. We had voters from every background; otherwise, we would not have won this election.”
Adnan Hussain, MP for Blackburn, questioned, “How can genocide be divisive? It’s beyond my understanding. Innocent people being killed causes division; there’s no logic to that. If there’s any logic, it is that people are not truly aware of what’s happening on the ground. So, this is sectarianism? Because somebody is anti-killing innocent people, there’s an issue there? Genocide, or the killing or harm of innocent people, should be uniting our communities, and that’s what I’ll be focussing on.”
The five MPs, who all defeated Labour candidates in July’s general election, jointly issued a statement: “We were elected by our constituents to provide hope in a Parliament of despair. Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap, and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel.
“Millions of people are crying out for a real alternative to austerity, inequality, and war, and their voices deserve to be heard. As individuals, we were voted by our constituents to represent their concerns in Parliament on these matters and more, and we believe that as a collective group, we can carry on doing this with greater effect. The more MPs who are prepared to stand up for these principles, the better. Our door is always open to other MPs who believe in a more equal and peaceful world.”
Since being elected to Parliament in July, the MPs have issued several joint statements on foreign and domestic policy. The group has already reached out to the seven Labour MPs who were suspended from the parliamentary party for six months after voting in favour of abolishing the two-child benefit cap.
