Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz wins election for the eight time. Here’re five things you need to know about him
Keith Vaz migrated from Yemen, where he was born, to England with his family in 1965
Keith Vaz, probably the most prominent face in British politics, returned as Labour MP for Leicester East with a crushing majority. It was for the eight time, when Keith Vaz won an election. Notably, Vaz is the longest-serving British-Asian MP in the UK Parliament.
Vaz was first elected to the Parliament in 1987, and has been re-elected seven times since. He also served as the Minister for Europe in the Tony Blair government.
Last year, Vaz landed himself into a controversy after he allegedly paid two male escorts for sex and offered to buy them drugs. He was forced to quit as the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee after the revelation was made.
Here’s five things you need to about Keith Vaz:
- The British MP has Goan roots. He is a Roman catholic of Goan descent. His parents were both Goan which accounts for his Goan- Portugese surname. He is also a distant relative of Saint Joseph Vaz, a 17th century missionary.
- Keith Vaz migrated from Yemen, where he was born, to England with his family in 1965, when he was just a 9-year-old and settled in Twickenham. His father committed suicide. Vaz was just 14 years old then.
- Vaz was educated at Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith followed by a law degree from Cambridge University. He graduated from Cambridge University with a BA 1st class Honours (1979), MA (1987), and MCFI (1988).
- Vaz practised as a solicitor for five years between 1982 and 1987 after which. He had joined the Labour party in 1982 and in the 1987 elections, he was elected as a member of Parliament of Leicester east with a majority vote.
- Keith Vaz’s career is blighted with several controversies. He was investigated twice by the parliamentary standards board over alleged improper payments. He was involved in a sex scandal and also allegedly played a role in expediting the travel documents for Lalit Modi.
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