Zarah Sultana

Born to Kashmeri parents, Zarah Sultana has known the West Midlands well her whole life. After growing up there, she studied International Relations at Birmingham University, and sought to represent the West Midlands region as an MEP in the 2019 EU election. At her general election campaign, Sultana was endorsed by Momentum and the Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey, the Fire Brigades Union, the Communication Workers Union and the Food and Allied Workers’ Union. She is a proud trade unionist and socialist: Sultana has decried austerity and New Labour as both being extensions of Thatcher’s legacy. She has voiced her support for a New Green Deal and is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group. Sultana has come under criticism during her 2019 election campaign for old social media posts wishing for the deaths of Blair, Bush, and Netenyahu. She has since reiterated her opposition to violence and violence-inciting speech. In January 2020, Sultana was appointed PPS to Dan Carden, who was the shadow secretary of state for international development. She was removed from this role by Keir Starmer after he became leader of the Labour Party later that year.