Mohammed Sarwar

Labour MP Glasgow Govan

Date of birth

18 August 1952

Political profile

Mohammed Sarwar was first elected as MP for Glasgow Govan in 1997.

A retail millionaire, he was Britain's first Muslim MP and in 2001 he was re-elected with an increased majority.

His political career has, however, been dogged by controversy since he won a bitter selection battle against Mike Watson, the former MP for Glasgow Central.

Soon after his election, he was suspended from the parliamentary Labour party over allegations of bribing political opponents, and stood trial for fraud.

He was acquitted in March 1999 and restored to the Parliamentary Labour Party.

He has concentrated on constituency issues, and has become one of the leading Commons advocates of the Scottish ship-building industry.

He is a regular contributor to debates on the economy, where he is a strong supporter of Gordon Brown's Chancellorship.

Despite his general loyalty, he has become a dissenting voice on some aspects of foreign policy, forming a partnership with George Galloway in opposition to the conduct of the war on terrorism.

Contact

Commons office: 020 7219 5024

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