Iqbal Mohamed should not be confused with Mohammad Iqbal.
Iqbal Mohamed | |
Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
Parliament: | United Kingdom |
Office: | Member of Parliament for Dewsbury and Batley |
Termstart: | 4 July 2024 |
Predecessor: | Constituency established |
Majority: | 6,934 (18.2%) |
Party: | Independent |
Birth Name: | Iqbal Hussain Mohamed |
Birth Place: | Dewsbury, England |
Alma Mater: | Durham University |
Iqbal Hussain Mohamed is a British independent politician, engineer, and IT consultant who has served as the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury and Batley since 2024.[1] Mohamed defeated Heather Iqbal of the Labour Party whilst campaigning on a pro-Palestine platform.[2] [3] He became the first independent MP to be elected to a seat in Yorkshire since 1907.[4]
Mohamed was born in Dewsbury into an Indian Muslim family from Bharauch, Gujurat, where he attended Westborough High School and Huddersfield New College before attending Durham University where he studied applied physics and electronics.[5] [6] [7]
Before his election as an MP, he worked in manufacturing and electrical engineering and later as a consultant in business and technology management.
Mohamed was elected as an independent candidate in a shock victory, defeating his Labour Party rival by a margin of 6,934 votes. He was the first independent MP to be elected to a constituency in Yorkshire since the 1907 Colne Valley by-election. He was one of five independent candidates elected across England in the 2024 general election, a result which is suggested to be a result of anger at Labour's stance on the Israel-Hamas War.[8]
Mohamed's campaign focused on calling for a ceasefire and two-state solution to the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as tackling the UK cost of living crisis.