Amjad Mahmood Bashir is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Yorkshire and the Humber region between 2014 and 2019.
11 Facts About Amjad Bashir
2.
Amjad Bashir was elected in 2014 for the UK Independence Party and defected to the Conservative Party on 24 January 2015.
3.
Amjad Bashir was the party's spokesman on communities and on small and medium-sized businesses until his defection to the Conservatives in January 2015.
4.
Amjad Bashir met with Conservative leader and Prime Minister David Cameron on 23 January 2015 to discuss moving back to the party, and made the move official the following day.
5.
Cameron stated that he was "absolutely delighted that Amjad Bashir had decided to leave Ukip and join the Conservative Party".
6.
Amjad Bashir stated that Bashir had an "inspiring story", and that "it's another sign that in this great country of ours you can come to Britain without very much and you can be a member of the European parliament, an MP, sit in the cabinet".
7.
Amjad Bashir was defended by Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan and by then-Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps, both of whom criticised the allegations by UKIP.
8.
On 20 February 2016, Amjad Bashir announced that he would be supporting the campaign to leave the European Union in the forthcoming EU membership referendum.
9.
Amjad Bashir was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in Leeds North East, but he was then suspended from the party on 20 November 2019 because of alleged comments he had made.
10.
Amjad Bashir remained on the ballot paper as the Conservative Party candidate and finished second.
11.
In January 2015, Amjad Bashir was nominated for the Politician of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.