Adnan Hussain
Adnan Hussain | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Blackburn | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kate Hollern |
| Majority | 132 (0.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1989 (age 35) |
| Political party | Independent (part of the Independent Alliance) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour (before 2020)[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Central Lancashire |
Adnan Hussain (born July 1989)[2] is a British independent politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn since 2024.[3]
Since September 2024 he has been a member of the Independent Alliance.
Early life
Adnan Hussain was born in Burnley, Lancashire.[4] He attended Mansfield High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Central Lancashire.[1]
Legal and business career
Hussain was admitted as a solicitor in August 2022. He is a director at Bank View Solicitors in Blackburn, Lancashire.[5][6]
In the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, Hussain has declared shareholdings in multiple property companies and two residential properties in Burnley which provide a rental income of over £10,000 a year.[7]
Parliamentary career
In the 2024 general election, Hussain beat the incumbent Kate Hollern of the Labour Party.[8] Hussain's election campaign had a focus on the 2024 Israel-Gaza war and was supported by a group 12 of independent councillors on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council called 4BwD who had resigned from the Labour Party in opposition to its position on the war.[1][9] During the campaign, Hussain said he would speak out "against the injustice being inflicted against the people of Gaza.”[6] After his election, he said: "This is for Gaza"[3] and "We are here on the back of a genocide and if that is giving us an opportunity then we must grasp it and use it for the betterment of our communities.”[10] He had only decided to stand when the election was called and had previously worked on Kate Hollern's campaigns before 2020.[1][10]
Hussain sponsored the Independent—Green "Amendment B" to abolish the two child benefit cap and voted in support of the Scottish National Party's "Amendment D" to abolish the cap.[11][12] Shortly after the vote, Hussain, Shockat Adam, Jeremy Corbyn, Ayoub Khan, and Iqbal Mohamed produced a joint letter decrying the two major parties and stating the need for a caring alternative.[13] Adam and Corbyn had been in discussions with Khan, Hussain, and Mohamed regarding how to impact policy, with Adam stating that the five were "looking at options that would give us more access to the levers of power."[14]
On 2 September 2024, Hussain was a founding member of the Independent Alliance parliamentary group.[15]
Personal life
Hussain lives in Wilpshire, Lancashire.[1]
Controversy
In 2014, Hussain spoke at a pro-Palestine demo in Hyde Park,[16] and one in Bradford.[17] At the demo in Hyde Park, Hussain said "Any man, woman that takes away innocent lives is a terrorist. There is no doubt about it. He could be from America, he could be from Israel, or he could be the bloody ISIS” and "ISIS are terrorists and so are the Israeli government—there is no difference between them".[16]
At the demo in Bradford, he spoke at a Free Palestine rally in Bradford when he stated that the 2014 Israel-Gaza War and the Blockade of the Gaza Strip amounted to a genocide against the Palestinian people. In his speech he said "They let Gaza burn, they hate Gaza... Now let's make Israel burn, let's make Israel burn. We will stop their funding..." and ended the speech with calls for solidarity with the Jewish community, and for harmony between all racial and religious groups.[citation needed]
After winning his seat in the 2024 UK general election, The Daily Telegraph, a publication that denies any genocide in Gaza,[18] reported on his 2014 speeches. Hussain stated his comments at the Bradford demo were in support of boycotting Israel but that "with the maturity of at least ten years since the speech in question, I'd use my words much more carefully". In The Daily Telegraph's first article, a spokesman for the British Jewish organisation Community Security Trust compared his comments with the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah, saying "parts of Israel literally burning at the hands of Hamas terrorists and under Hezbollah rocket bombardments shows just what this slogan means in practice".[17]
References
- ^ a b c d e Jacobs, Bill (29 May 2024). "4BwD group unveils candidate for Blackburn General Election". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Adnan HUSSAIN person". Companies House. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b Siddique, Haroon (7 July 2024). "Who are the pro-Gaza independents who unseated Labour MPs?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Stott, Jack (16 September 2024). "Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain: Member of Parliament's first surgery". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Adnan Hussain - The Law Society". solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b Humphries, Jonny (5 July 2024). "Gaza concerns fuel independent's win in Blackburn". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Register of Interests for Mr Adnan Hussain". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Blackburn". General Election 2024. Sky News.
- ^ Khan, Shuiab (11 June 2024). "Packed venue greets Independent candidate at launch event". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b Khan, Shuiab (5 July 2024). "New Blackburn MP swamped by supporters after historic election win". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Green, Daniel (18 July 2024). "King's Speech: Government to face four amendments on two-child benefit cap". LabourList. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ staff, Politics co uk (23 July 2024). "How every MP voted on the two-child benefit cap amendment". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Gye, Hugo; Vaughan, Richard (24 July 2024). "Corbyn trying to form rebel alliance to fight Starmer after Labour benefits revolt". inews. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Jeremy Corbyn in talks to form new group with independent MPs". BBC News. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (2 September 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn to form alliance with four independent pro-Gaza MPs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b Turner, Camilla (13 July 2024). "Pro-Palestinian MP told rally there was 'no difference' between Israeli government and Isis". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ a b "New MP told public rally: 'Let's make Israel burn'". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Simons, Jake Wallis (22 June 2024). "Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 October 2024.