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Sadiq Khan
Biography

Sadiq Khan is the Labour MP for Tooting, having been elected on
May 5th 2005.
Khan was born in 1970 in London. He grew up in a council flat on the Henry
Prince Estate in Earlsfield, and attended Fircroft and Ernest Bevin
Schools, before going to the University of North London to study law. His
father used to be a bus driver. He completed the Law Society finals at the
College of Law in Guildford and trained as a Human Rights Solicitor. He
then set up a firm (Christian Khan) with Louise Christian, a left-winger
who stood for the Socialist Alliance in Hornsey and Wood Green in the 2001
general election.
In June 2009 Sadiq became Minister of State for Transport. He was also
appointed to the Privy Council and asked to attend the Cabinet.
He leads on transport business in the House of Commons. His areas of
responsibility include city and regional networks, including
London
and Crossrail, as well as environmental impact, climate change and Europe.
From October 2008-June 2009 Sadiq was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State in the Department for Communities and Local Government. He had
special responsibility for community cohesion, the fire and rescue
service, preventing violent extremism, the valuation and tribunal service
and planning and local government.
He helped pass the Business Rates (Supplement) Act and was the first
Western Minister to visit the holy cities of
Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia,
as part of a Ministerial visit on preventing violent extremism in May
2009.
In June 2007, the new Prime Minister appointed Sadiq a Minister in the
Government Whip's Office where he had special responsibility for managing
Ministry of Justice legislation. In his time in the Ministry he helped
pass the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, the Criminal Evidence
(Witness Anonymity Act) and the Forced Marriages Act.
Previously he was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Honourable
Jack Straw MP, who was then Leader of the House of Commons.
Sadiq was a member of the prestigious Public Accounts Select Committee
between 2005 and 2007.
Sadiq was awarded 'Newcomer of the Year' by the Spectator Magazine
Parliamentarian of the Year awards 2005. He was also runner-up in Channel
4's 'Rising Star' award, and has been described as 'one to watch' by both
The Independent and The New Statesman. In 2008, Sadiq was awarded the
Muslim News Award for Excellence. (He was the first politician ever to be
nominated for such an award).
Sadiq was one of the
first MPs to ever take part in the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas)
ParlVol scheme. He has volunteered in Sierra Leone
Before becoming a Minister Sadiq was very active as a backbencher in the
Chamber, with a very high attendance record, and had spoken in several
debates including those on young people's participation in democracy,
citizenship and integration, House of Lords reform, equalities
legislation, the NHS, Legal Aid, Climate Change, Affordable Housing,
International Development and the London 2012 Olympics.
Sadiq has been the Chair of the All Party Group of Citizens Advice Bureau,
Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Child and Youth Crime
and Chair of the PLP Home Affairs Committee.
In 2008 Sadiq was made a Fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust, for
his work in fostering understanding between business and parliament.
He is Chair of the Fabian Society, a patron of Progress and a member of
Friends of the Earth and SERA. He belongs to the GMB and UNISON trade
unions and is a member of the CWU group of MPs.
Sadiq is patron of the Polka Theatre Company and is also an active member
of the UKPFC (UK Parliamentary Football Club) and the Lords and Commons
Cricket Club.
Sadiq was a Councillor for Tooting ward in the London Borough of
Wandsworth from 1994 until 2006 (and was deputy Leader of the Labour Group
for 5 years). He was 23 when first elected and responsible for, amongst
other things, the Conservative Council being required to change its policy
on affordable housing.
He was awarded the title of Honorary Alderman for the London Borough of
Wandsworth in June 2006.
Prior to becoming the MP for Tooting, Sadiq was a Human Rights solicitor
having been a founding partner of one of the country's leading Human
Rights firms. He was listed, in his last year as a practicing solicitor,
as one of the county's leading lawyers in two separate categories of law
in the Chambers and Partners directory 2004-05 (Human Rights and Police
law).
He has acted in a number of landmark cases in all major Courts (including
the European Court of Human Rights, House of Lords, Court of Appeal), and
Tribunals. Prior to being a MP, he had also written, lectured and appeared
in the media on a range of issues. He was co author to Police Misconduct:
Legal Remedies (LAG 4th edition 2005) and Challenging Racism; Using the
Human Rights Act (Lawrence and Wishart 2003).
As a lawyer, Sadiq gave evidence to the Homes Affairs Select Committee on
a number of occasions, and to the Privy Council of the House of Lords.
Sadiq was Chair of Liberty (NCCL) for 3 years and Vice Chair of Legal
Action Group (LAG) for a number of years. He has advised a number of the
country's major voluntary and community groups.
Sadiq was also previously a visiting lecturer at
University
of North London
and
London Metropolitan University, and a former governor of South Thames FE
College.
Since 1994, he has been Governor of the primary school he attended as a
child (in Tooting).
Between 2004-2008 he was been Chair of Governors of the country's first
purpose built Islamic ethos primary school, which is in Tooting. He is
still a Governor.
Sadiq was born in
St George's
Hospital in Tooting in 1970. His early years were spent in a council flat
in the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield. He attended local primary
schools and the local comprehensive,
Ernest
Bevin Secondary School
before going to University to study Law. He completed the Law Society
finals at the
College of Law in Guildford.
Sadiq is an avid supporter of Liverpool Football Club and Surrey County
Cricket Club respectively, and tries to watch them as often as is
possible.
He was married in 1994 in Wandsworth. Sadiq's wife, also a solicitor,
was born and raised in Tooting. They have 2 daughters aged 9 and 8.
Reference:http://www.sadiqkhan.co.uk and Wikipedia.com
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