Virendra Sharma

Virendra Kumar Sharma MP
Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 July 2007
Preceded by	Piara Khabra
Majority	9,291 (21.7%)
Personal details
Born	(1947-04-05) 5 April 1947 India
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	London School of Economics
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Member of Parliament
Website	virendrasharma.com

Virendra Kumar Sharma (born 5 April 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing Southall since 2007.

Parliamentary career

Virendra Sharma was elected as MP in the Ealing Southall by-election, held on 19 July 2007. The by-election was called following the death of the sitting Labour MP, Piara Khabra on 19 June 2007. Sharma held on to the seat at the 2010 General Election.

In November 2008, the then Labour government gave Sharma the role of Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State at the Treasury and Home Office, Phil Woolas MP, who had responsibility for borders and immigration. Sharma resigned from this post in January 2009 in protest at the Labour government's proposal to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Sharma is a member of the parliamentary select committees on Health, Human Rights and International Development. He has made official overseas visits as an MP to Cyprus, Kenya, India and Mauritius. He chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils. He supported David Miliband in the 2010 Labour leadership election.

As of September 2011, Sharma is currently under investigation by the Electoral Commission, who are investigating a donation of £5,000 allegedly made by the Indian Tourist Board and not declared in the Parliamentary register of members' interests. Sharma strenuously denies receiving this donation: "I have never received a donation from Indiatourism and have therefore never been liable to make a declaration in the Parliamentary register of members’ interests.”

How Sharma voted on key issues since 2007:

• Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
• Voted very strongly for allowing ministers to intervene in inquests.
• Voted strongly for more EU integration.
• Voted for a smoking ban.
• Voted for a stricter asylum system.
• Voted a mixture of for and against laws to stop climate change.
• Voted moderately against increasing the rate of VAT.
• Voted against raising the UK’s undergraduate tuition fee cap to £9,000 per year.
• Voted strongly against greater autonomy for schools.
• Voted very strongly against university tuition fees.
• Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.

Background

Virendra Sharma was born in India in 1947, the son of senior Indian Congress Party leader Dr Lekh Raj Sharma. Virendra Sharma was educated at the London School of Economics on a trade union scholarship. He speaks fluent Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. He is a high caste Brahmin Hindu and is married with a grown-up son and daughter and three grandchildren.

Sharma came to Hanwell from India in 1968 and became a bus conductor on the 207 route, later working as a day services manager for people with learning disabilities in Hillingdon. He started his political career by joining the Liberal Democrats, then switched to Labour in later years.

He was a local councillor in the London Borough of Ealing from 1982–2010 and was Mayor for part of his time as councillor. He was criticised by councillors from other political parties for his level of attendance at council meetings and stood down as a local councillor at the 2010 local elections.

Sharma is currently also a school governor at the Three Bridges and Wolf Fields schools.

External links

In the News

• Allegations against Sharma over missing £5,000 made by Indian Tourist Board. Daily Telegraph. 28/08/11
• More on allegations against Sharma by Indian Tourist Board, including evidence of payment by cheque Guido Fawkes blog 09/09/2011
• More on allegations against Sharma by Indian Tourist Board The Indian Express. 09/08/11
• London Evening Standard article quoting Sharma on homelessness in Southall. 17/01/11
• Docklands 24 article on MPs including Sharma who tabled an Early Day Motion in support of striking London Underground workers. 02/11/10
• Asian Tribune editorial about Sharma and his involvement with Keith Vaz and the Tamil cause. 05/05/10
• Daily Mail article quoting Sharma on MPs' overseas travel. 01/08/09
• Guardian article quoting Sharma on his association with Keith Vaz. 21/09/08
• Daily Telegraph blog entry: Sharma's role as councillor 18/04/08
• Hinduism Today. Dharma: Has It Impacted The UK Political Scene? 03/04/95

General

• Virendra Sharma site
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• UK Parliament Website: details of Sharma's parliamentary expenses
• 'Ealing Gazette' 2010 Election Website Sharma's posts 03/05/2010
• 'Ealing Gazette' newspaper column written by Sharma and other Ealing MPs
• 'Ealing Times' newspaper column written by Sharma and other Ealing MPs until 2008
• UK Polling Report: Ealing Southall profile including detail on Sharma