Ayoub Khan | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2024 | |
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Khalid Mahmood |
Majority | 507 (1.4%) |
Member of Birmingham City Council for Aston | |
Assumed office May 2022 | |
Preceded by | Muhammad Afzal |
In office July 2005 – May 2012 | |
In office May 2003 – June 2004 | |
Personal details | |
Political party | Independent |
Other political affiliations | Liberal Democrats (until 2024) |
Alma mater | Birmingham City University University of Birmingham |
Ayoub Khan is a British independent politician and barrister who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Perry Barr since 2024.[1][2]
Khan moved to England from Ratta, Azad Kashmir at six months old. He attended Duddeston Manor School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and a Masters in integrated management systems from the University of Central England. He qualified as a barrister in 2007 after being called to the bar in 2005.[3]
Khan was first elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in the Aston ward in Birmingham in 2003. He lost the seat in 2004, but represented it again from 2005 to 2012, and 2022 to 2024.[4] During this time, he ran for other positions for the party, including the UK and European parliaments.[5]
During the 2023 Gaza war, Khan was embroiled in controversy over whether he had promoted a conspiracy theory on TikTok, and posted his own videos questioning the extent of the 7 October attacks.[6][7][8][9] He deleted the post, and the Liberal Democrat party said Khan had recognised the comments were offensive and agreed to undertake antisemitism training.[10] Khan stated "[a]t no stage have I considered my material on TikTok offensive, nor have I agreed with anyone that I would undergo a training course in antisemitism. There is simply no need. It illustrates doesn’t it how the media can get it wrong".[7][11][12]
In May 2024, he quit the Liberal Democrats to fight the general election as an independent,[13] saying he had been told to “hush up” his concerns over the Gaza war but could not do so without compromising his integrity.[14][better source needed] He was endorsed by the campaign group The Muslim Vote.[14][better source needed] He was elected as an independent MP for the Birmingham Perry Barr constituency, with 35.5% of the vote, overturning the Labour incumbent Khalid Mahmood’s 15,000 vote majority to win by 507 votes.[15][16]
As of 2007, Khan lived in his childhood home in Aston with his wife Sophia Mohammed and their three children.[3]