Longest-serving British Indian MP Vaz steps down
LONDON: Keith Vaz, who was first elected in 1987 and went on to win eight subsequent elections in a controversial career, announced his retirement on Sunday, days after being charged with damaging the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons.
Vaz’s announcement spares the Labour Party of discomfiture before the December 12 election, with questions raging over his candidature after the Commons standards committee recommended a six-month suspension in a drug scandal that emerged in 2016.
Vaz, who was born to Goan parents in Yemen, has been a prominent figure in the Indian community in the UK, besides forging links with leading politicians and others in India.
The senior Labour MP said: “I have decided to retire after completing 32 years as the Member of Parliament for Leicester East. In that time I have won eight general elections. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve my constituency.
“I want to thank the people of Leicester East for their absolute loyalty and support.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Vaz’s decision to step down: “Keith Vaz was among the pioneering group of black and Asian Labour MPS elected in 1987. I was proud to support his selection and incredibly proud when he won, taking the seat from the Tories.”
In September 2016, UK’S Sunday Mirror reported that Vaz expressed willingness to buy cocaine during an encounter with two male prostitutes. He posed as an industrial washing machine salesman called Jim, invited the pair into his flat and offered to pay for cocaine for another man to use.
Despite the scandal, Vaz polled more votes in the 2017, but his candidature for the December 12 election made senior Labour leaders such as Diane Abott uneasy, suggesting that he step down voluntarily.