Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

London mayoral polls: Moz Hossain confident of defeating Sadiq Khan

Hossain, who grew up in a village in Bangladesh, emphasises his status as a King’s Counsel (KC) and believes it gives him an advantage in the contest

London mayoral polls: Moz Hossain confident of defeating Sadiq Khan

Moz Hossain, the Tory candidate for the London mayoral election, believes that his experience as a criminal barrister and his humble background is key to defeating Sadiq Khan.

Hossain, 48, grew up in a village in Bangladesh, where his parents were farmers. He recalls the smells of the village and the abundance of produce it offered.


Now living in Tower Hamlets, he jokes that it is easiest to find mangoes there, which he still loves.

One of his rivals, Dan Korski, recently dropped out of the race following allegations of groping, leaving Hossain as one of the two potential candidates for the Conservatives.

During a two-week voting period commencing on Tuesday (04), conservative members will be presented with a choice to make.

Hossain emphasises his status as a King's Counsel (KC) and believes it gives him an advantage in the contest.

He plans to "litigate" the case against Khan, 52, highlighting his experience as a criminal barrister.

Khan has previously highlighted his rise from a south London council estate as a key aspect of his campaign.

Hossain hopes that his own background will nullify any advantage Khan has gained from his upbringing.

Hossain's story begins with his parents' marriage before their teenage years. His father's village wanted to join their family with Hossain's mother's family, so they arranged the marriage when she was just 11 years old.

They went on to have eight children, with Hossain being the youngest.

The family lived in poverty but never went hungry thanks to intensive farming and the forest near their village that offered wild root vegetables.

Hossain said the major issue at hand was the absence of medical attention, leading to individuals succumbing to minor ailments.

At the age of 16, Hossain moved to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to attend school. It was there that he began to develop a sense of injustice, observing the police dismantling shelters used by women and children on the streets.

This led to his interest in becoming a lawyer. He later moved to the UK to study law at Liverpool University, where he became the first foreign student to be elected president of the student union. He then fell in love with London and decided to become a barrister.

Hossain has been practicing as a criminal barrister for over two decades, defending clients accused of various crimes.

He joined the Conservative Party in 2015 and became more involved in 2021 when he decided to run for mayor.

He became a King's Counsel in 2019, a title he is proud of and believes will help him win votes.

One of Hossain's main focuses is tackling criminal gangs in London. He expresses his concern, cautioning that London is not a safe city.

He believes that a dual approach is necessary, being tough on gang leaders while also providing support to vulnerable youngsters to prevent them from turning to crime.

Hossain has seen first-hand the effects of hopelessness on individuals and believes that mentorship programmes and opportunities for young people can make a significant difference.

In addition to addressing crime, Hossain has pledged to scrap the expansion of Khan's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) and freeze the mayor's portion of Londoners' council tax bills to support struggling families.

He also plans to review low-traffic neighbourhood schemes (LTNs) and involve residents in decisions regarding their implementation.

Additionally, Hossain is committed to protecting greenbelt land and encouraging development on brownfield sites.

Although Hossain has been a member of the Conservative Party for eight years, he acknowledges that the party's popularity in London is lower than Khan's.

However, he believes that his diverse background and ability to connect with all communities in London will help him win over voters who currently support Khan.

Hossain views himself as the candidate who can defeat Khan and bring the necessary change to London.

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less