A British Sikh local politician has been selected by the Labour party as its candidate for the June 8 general election and hopes to become the first turban-wearing MP in the House of Commons.
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, known as Tan, will be hoping to hold on to the Slough constituency, where previous Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart won by a majority of 7,336 (15.2 per cent) in the 2015 election.
“I am humbled to be selected as Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Slough and hope to have the honour of serving the town where I was born and raised,” said Dhesi, currently local councillor for Gravesham.
His selection by the Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday attracted some controversy as it goes against the party’s policy to select women for seats previously contested by female candidates.
Mactaggart had announced her decision to step down earlier this month, along with a series of veteran Labour MPs who announced their decision not to contest in the next general election.
Dhesi is being backed by representative group Sikh Federation (UK), which has set up a steering committee to lobby for greater Sikh representation in winnable parliamentary seats in the elections.
“We know there remains some controversy about Tanmanjeet’s selection, but this is a matter for the Labour National Executive Committee (NEC),” a spokesperson said.
“What we do know is Labour has selected a turban-wearing Sikh who has an excellent chance to become the first turban- wearing Sikh in the House of Commons and he will have our full support,” the spokesperson said.
Preet Kaur Gill, a Labour Councillor in Sandwell, is hoping to become the first female Sikh MP after she was selected earlier this week to replace Gisela Stuart MP in Birmingham Edgbaston and will be defending a majority of 2,706 (6.6 per cent).
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)