I’m an independent candidate. I'm not bound by party rules

Vaz Shabir is the independent candidate for Keighley and Ilkley 🗳️

How long have you been involved in campaigning for the people of Gaza?

Gaza has been an issue that has been close to my heart for many years. But after the 7 October attacks, when they started to say that Israel had a right to defend itself, we saw that that very quickly became an attack on innocent women and children.

What makes conflict different this time around – and I know that it has been going on for 75 years – is that for the first time, there is a genocide happening [for context, see this BBC article], with the ICJ [International Court of Justice] calling it a plausible genocide [it hasn’t – see this BBC article for more on nuance around it].

A lot of people say, ‘Why aren’t you talking about Hamas?’ Well, I've got nothing to do with Hamas. That's a terrorist organisation. We've got nothing to do with them. What I do have an issue with is the way that a modern western democracy, like Israel, is behaving – so I will question Israel's blatant war crimes. It's the horrors and the images that I’ve seen that have really gotten to me and made this into an issue that I've been talking about every single day since October.

How historic do you feel this general election is?

I think this general election is going to be historic. For me, 2024 is the election where we see that the two-party system has failed us. We have seen the rise of Reform UK, minor parties, the Workers Party of Britain. And this is the year that independent candidates have really arrived to really shake up the two-party system and make sure that establishment parties do not take our votes for granted ever again.

I do call it the Gaza election as well. You know, this is the time when we actually show that immorality abroad is also immorality at home. I believe Gaza is a local issue because what we see is that we've got no money for the NHS, we've got no money for education, we've got no money for roads, we've got no money for a third child tax credit, we've got no money to help our homeless, we got our money for our veterans, we've got no money for our youth, and we've got no money for public services.

But we've always got money to give in foreign aid to help other countries like Israel bomb innocent babies abroad. How about we look after our own children here and not bomb kids abroad?

How do you think Robbie Moore has fared as an MP for the last five years?

Robbie has definitely given the impression that he has been a hard working MP – and in many ways he's done some good. However, Robbie has never represented the entire constituency. He’s basically ignored the Muslim vote because he thinks they don’t vote for him.

In fact, when he came here to Keighley, he told me that he'd never ever had any real interaction with Muslims or brown people before he came here. And how on earth can an MP be parachuted in when he doesn't have that experience?

Do you think Labour is going to get into number 10?

I do think that there will be a Labour government in the upcoming general election but it's not because Labour are so great but because the Tories have been so so bad. And that worries me. I think one of the things about the 2019 majority that Boris Johnson had, was that he became complacent and that there was almost a dictatorship.

I think Keir Starmer is a dictator. He's gonna be a dictator. I think what's going to happen is that Labour’s left wing isn’t going to have any voice whatsoever because he doesn't need it to. The National Executive Committee of the Labour Party is now all Starmerites. I believe this is a party that is funded and controlled by the Zionist lobby. 

Starmer is very much now – he keeps on saying he is the son of a toolmaker, but he’s just a fool fooling everyone. Sir Keir Starmer is very much a part of the establishment and what we want to do is reduce his majority. This idea that Labour people are saying that if you vote for any other party other than Labour, the Tories will win is a lie. The Tories can’t win. They will never win. What we're going to do is reduce the number of Labour MPs. I don’t think Britain is going to be a bad place with the warmonger and pledge breaker Keir Starmer.

What are the key issues in the area and how are you looking to overcome them?

Keighley has a huge amount of poverty – one in four children live in poverty. Britain is broken and what the Labour Party are doing, it's really a continuation of what the Tories have done – they’re offering more austerity without proper funding of the education system and without really funding the NHS either. What we need is radical change – to get people away from austerity.

Some of the other key issues in Keighley include the rise of crime and antisocial behaviour. What I want to do is fight that, fight the drug dealing. And because our kids have nothing to do, I want to promote the development of a lot more youth clubs and facilities.

One of the youngest cities in Europe is Bradford, the Bradford district. We’ve got loads of young people in Keighley with nothing better to do, so of course, they will take drugs and misbehave. So I’m going to fight for reinstating things, bringing investment for the youth here and giving them hope.

In Ilkley, I've been speaking to people there and they're sick of this 20mph speed limit that has been introduced in parts of the town. It's just going to cause nothing but more problems. They're also really disappointed that Bradford Council basically uses them as a cash cow. I want to make sure that the people of Ilkley get their fair share and champion their cause with Bradford Council. If they pay more they should get more.

What does Keighley and Ilkley mean to you? Why do you want to be its MP?

The Keighley and Ilkley constituency means a lot to me. I was born in Airedale Hospital back in 1982. My son was born in Airedale Hospital in 2020. All my siblings were born here and it’s where all my family were born. This is where my nana is buried. This means something to me.

I aim to live here until the day that I die, unlike Robbie who was parachuted in. If he loses he’ll probably leave. And John Grogan doesn't even live in the constituency. He was the MP for Selby for so long and was parachuted in here in Keighley. I know he’s campaigned here before but, you know, he's not part of this town either.

What we really need is local representation, the ones who really feel something about the area. My kids are going to grow up in this town – it means something to me. For other candidates, I don't think it means anywhere near as much as it does to me. This is my home. This is where I was born and bred. So it means everything to me.

How will you be a strong MP for the constituency?

I will be a fantastic MP for Keighley and Ilkley because I’m an independent candidate. I'm not bound by party rules. I'm not here to please Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak or whoever the leader of the party is. These party people are representatives of their political party. I am the representative of my people, of Keighley and Ilkley, they are my party. And these are the people I'm answerable to – and not a chief whip.

How much support have you received so far from local voters?

I have been very, very well received in my local town of Keighley, less so in Ilkley. Admittedly, it’s always going to be a little more difficult here. You know, one person said to me, ‘There’s no way a brown person can win the seat of Keighley and Ilkley due to the racism’ … and that’s a sad indictment because I was born in this constituency and I know it well.

But this is a reality – Ilkley is predominantly white whereas Keighley is a lot more ethnically diverse. The reality is that votes for me are going to come from the Muslim community – I can’t shy away from that but there are also a strong number of leftwing voters who are considering voting independent, who are sick of Labour and the Conservatives, who want to see more real representation. And I’m not your quintessential politician, either.

What are your views on climate change?

It really needs some serious investment. I think green energy is where the business is, where the market is. I think the government needs to invest more in it, as it will create a lot more jobs. And sometimes you've got to borrow money to invest, which is going to create more profitability. I think we're going to be left behind in the world if we don't invest in a green economy – we should be the leaders in this.

The climate crisis is one of the biggest crises that we all face. It’s what our young voters care about and they're being ignored on this issue. I’m also disappointed to see Starmer’s £28 billion green pledge be revoked.

Five years from now, what would you like to have achieved?

To have inspired a new generation. We’re currently at a crossroads. Bradford is one of the youngest cities in Europe and we have some very young people in Keighley. I’m talking predominantly British Pakistanis and Bengalis here, but wherever I walk, they’re shouting, ‘Vaz independent! Independent!’ None of them are voting age – they must be teenagers – but they know about politics, they understand the power of politics and I really want them to be active participants.

So, if I can inspire one person to put themselves forward or be interested in politics, then I will be mighty satisfied. In five years time I also want the independent movement to have grown and for there to be a real independent voice in Keighley that isn’t bound by party politics.

How would your friends and family describe you?

Tenacious, a man who always fights for justice, somebody who won’t accept the status quo and someone who is a disruptor who won’t accept what’s in front of him. I’m always going to question things. They know that I’m a person of integrity and justice.

What do you like to do beyond politics?

I’m a big activist really but I love watching cricket. I love snooker. But most importantly, what I particularly love doing is being a father to my three-year-old son – who is absolutely amazing – and being a husband to my beautiful wife, who is from France.