Tahir Ali

In October 2019 Ali was selected as the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Hall Green.^[6] The candidate selection process was undertaken by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.^[7] The campaign was marred by intimidation from former MP Roger Godsiff's supporters, resulting in three police investigations, one arrest for malicious communications and police patrols outside polling stations.^[8]

At the 2019 general election, Ali was elected to Parliament as MP for Birmingham Hall Green with 67.8% of the vote and a majority of 28,508.^[9]

He endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election and Angela Rayner in the deputy leadership election.^[10]

In April 2020, Ali was given a formal warning by police after he broke government restrictions by attending a funeral with up to 100 mourners during the coronavirus pandemic.^[11] West Midlands Labour Party Police commissioner David Jamieson also publicly condemned Ali's conduct, stating that his actions were "totally irresponsible" and that he "is not serving his constituents by endangering their lives".^[12] Ali issued an apology stating that he only attended as an observer and would not be attending any other similar gatherings.^[13]

Ali was a member of the European Scrutiny Committee from March 2020 until May 2024. He was also a member of the Justice Committee from March 2023 until May 2024.^[14]

Due to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, Ali's constituency of Birmingham Hall Green was abolished, and replaced with Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley. At the 2024 general election, Ali was elected to Parliament as MP for Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley with 30.8% of the vote and a majority of 5,656.^[15][16]

In November 2024, he asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "commit to introducing measures to prohibit the desecration of all religious texts and the prophets of Abrahamic religions".^[17] The Independent wrote that the question "raised concerns he was in effect calling for a blasphemy law", and noted that Starmer neither rejected the proposal nor mentioned a specific response.^[18] The National Secular Society called such a proposal "deeply alarming".^[19][20]

In March 2025, Ali was one of 20 MPs to sign a letter addressed to the prime minister of Pakistan, to build a new airport in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir in order to save travel time for visitors from Britain. Figures including Labour minister Dan Jarvis,^[21] and Conservative shadow minister Robert Jenrick said that Ali and the other signees should have been focusing on domestic issues such as a refuse collection strike in Birmingham.^[22] Kenan Malik of The Guardian noted that Ali had never voted in parliament on matters related to welfare reform or benefits cuts, but had campaigned for this airport, and the introduction of blasphemy law.^[23]

As of May 2025, Ali is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Kuwait, Turkey and Yemen.^[24]

Ali has been critical of the government of Narendra Modi in India. In March 2021, he expressed his "absolute support for, and solidarity with, the farmers protesting in India" and called for sanctions to be imposed on the government of India, citing the "abuse the human and civil rights not only of farmers, but of Kashmiri people through the military occupation of the region".^[25] Ali further said that "political opponents of Modi in India are at risk of arbitrary arrest, and the civil liberties of all Indians are being eroded by an extremist, rightwing government".^[26]

On 24 February 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ali was one of 11 Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip after they signed a statement by the Stop the War Coalition which questioned the legitimacy of NATO and accused the military alliance of "eastward expansion". All 11 MPs subsequently removed their signatures.^[27]

He is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.^[28] During Prime Minister's Questions on 24 January 2024, Ali stirred controversy around the Gaza war. He asserted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bore responsibility for "the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands," sparking significant public and parliamentary attention.^[29] In response to the backlash, Ali issued a formal apology on the same day, expressing regret for the choice of words, whilst maintaining his steadfast views on the Middle East. He acknowledged the need to apologise for the manner in which he described the Prime Minister.^{[30][non-primary source needed]}

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tahir Ali.

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou