1 day Ago By Tim Newark - Political Commentator
Caring about events overseas at the expense of their own country has long been a hallmark of left-wing MPs. Hence their support for net zero policies that punish UK citizens to save the rest of the planet. But such political perversity has reached a new low among politicians of the left.
Zarah Sultana, Coventry South’s MP, has loudly objected to Labour’s U-turn on building a third runway at Heathrow – citing the “climate emergency”. To construct the much-needed extra runway would be “reckless, short-sighted and indefensible”, she warned – and the planet would suffer. Now, however, she is using her position as an MP to push for a brand new airport 5,000 miles away in Mirpur in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Apparently it’s fine to build airports, just as long as they’re in Pakistan , not the UK. Labour’s Rosena Allin-Khan also backs the Mirpur project, despite slamming the Heathrow third runway plan for “severe disruption and pollution”. T hey were joined by five other Labour MPs who objected to the Heathrow expansion.
A total of 20 (mainly Labour) backbenchers called on Sir Keir Starmer to back proposals for a new Mirpur international airport. The apparent irony of their position was not lost on Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick , who wrote: “Their rank hypocrisy is subverting the UK’s interest.” Tahir Ali claimed he was supporting the new airport because it impacted on many of his voters, by reducing their driving distance to a convenient Pakistani airport when returning home to visit relatives.
This while Birmingham, which he is supposed to represent as MP for the Labour-run city’s Hall Green constituency, is suffering a devastating bin strike that has resulted in 17,000 tons of garbage being left uncollected. Perhaps he should be more concerned about his own rat-infested streets than far-flung Kashmir? “You’re an MP for Birmingham, not Mirpur,” Jenrick told him. Of course, this is the new face of diversity Britain.
Politics in far-flung countries can now be weaponised by and against our elected representatives in Westminster, no matter how little it impacts on actual Britons, thanks to mass migration. This was evidenced during the general election in which the relentless marches of pro-Palestinian protesters against Israel became a voting issue in several Muslim-dominant constituencies. They included Leicester South, where independent candidate Shockat Adam unseated the shadow Cabinet Office minister Jonathan Ashworth.
After winning by just under 1,000 votes, he declared: “This is for the people of Gaza.” God forbid it should be for the people of Leicester South. Zarah Sultanah has previously quoted her socialist principles when defying the Labour party whip.
And in 2021, she joined other eco-MPs to launch the “Green New Deal” in Parliament, committing us to far-reaching curbs on our daily lives, including flying abroad a lot less. This time round, she appears happy to sacrifice her environmental concerns for the travel convenience of Pakistani-heritage constituents. The idea for the campaign came from Mohammad Yasin, the Mirpur-born MP for Bedford.
With some 15% of local voters coming from Asia, and with Muslims the second largest religious group in his constituency, no doubt he can be assured of strong support at the next election. But a weird obsession with putting other countries’ needs above our own underpins so much of our bizarre current foreign policy. We’ve already had the determined bid to hand our Indian Ocean base in the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, even though it will cost us £18billion and irritate the US.
Then we have left-wing activists keen for us to fork out billions of pounds in compensation to Caribbean islands for colonial crimes. Why are left-wingers constantly blaming all of us for the ills of the rest of the world? I can only surmise it’s a misplaced form of self-loathing favoured by well-off socialists who feel bad about their own privilege and want to pass that guilt onto the rest of us. But given their backgrounds, most working-class voters do not share this absurd sense of guilt and rather feel a sense of pride in Britain.
These very voters, seeing the hypocrisy of the ruling elite, are now leading the charge for Reform UK with like-minded Tories , who believe we should be putting Britons’ concerns first and fostering growth and prosperity in our own nation – before dealing with overseas problems..
