imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:UK MPs 2019– to :Category:UK MPs 2019–present per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

2021-07-22T09:51:48Z

Moving Category:UK MPs 2019– to Category:UK MPs 2019–present per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

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{{Short description|British politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Official portrait of Mr Virendra Sharma crop 2.jpg
| imagesize =
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Virendra Sharma
| honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament (UK)|MP]]
| office = [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Ealing Southall (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Southall]]
| parliament =
| majority = 16,084 (38.1%)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/mr-virendra-sharma/1604|title=Mr Virendra Sharma MP|website=UK Parliament}}</ref>
| predecessor = [[Piara Khabra]]
| successor =
| term_start = 19 July 2007
| term_end =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|04|05|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Mandhali]], [[British Raj]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bio|url=http://www.virendrasharma.com/bio|website=Virendra Sharma MP}}</ref>
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = British
| spouse = {{marriage|Nirmala Sharma|1968}}
| party = [[Labour party (UK)|Labour]]
| relatives =
| children = 2
| residence =
| alma_mater = [[London School of Economics]]
| occupation = [[Politician]]
| profession =
| signature =
| website = {{URL|https://www.virendrasharma.com/}}
| footnotes =
}}

'''Virendra Kumar Sharma''' (born 5 April 1947<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/61606.stm |title=Virendra Sharma MP |publisher=BBC |work=BBC Democracy Live |access-date=25 July 2010}}</ref>) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] [[politician]]. He has been the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Ealing Southall (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Southall]] since winning the seat at a [[2007 Ealing Southall by-election|by-election in 2007]].

==Early life and background==
Virendra Sharma was born in [[Mandhali]], [[India]] in 1947 in a [[Punjabi Hindus|Punjabi Hindu]] family<ref name="gita1">{{Cite web |last=CANTON |first=NAOMI |date=31 December 2019 |title=UK MP under fire for not taking oath on Gita |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/uk-mp-under-fire-for-not-taking-oath-on-gita/articleshow/73039203.cms |access-date=2021-06-16 |language=en}}</ref> and received education at the [[London School of Economics]] on a trade union scholarship.<ref name="ukpollingreport">{{Cite web |title=UKPollingReport Election Guide 2010 |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ealingsouthall/ |access-date=2021-06-16 |website=ukpollingreport.co.uk}}</ref> He speaks fluent [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Hindi]] in addition to [[English language|English]].

Sharma came to [[Hanwell]] from India in 1968 and became a [[bus conductor]] on the 207 route, later working as a day services manager for people with learning disabilities in [[Hillingdon]]. He began his political career by joining the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]], then switched to Labour. He was Race Equalities Officer to the Labour Party nationally.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

He was a councillor in the [[London Borough of Ealing]] from 1982 to 2010 and became Mayor.<ref name="ukpollingreport" /> He was criticised for his low attendance<ref name="Daily Telegraph blog entry: Sharma's role as councillor">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20160412144239/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 April 2016|title=Opinion|date=16 March 2016|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|newspaper=The Telegraph}}</ref> and stood down as a councillor at the [[2010 United Kingdom local elections|2010 local elections]].

==Parliamentary career==
Virendra Sharma was elected as MP in the [[2007 Ealing Southall by-election|Ealing Southall by-election]], held on 19 July 2007. The by-election was called following the death of the sitting Labour MP, [[Piara Khabra]], on 19 June 2007.<ref name="theyworkforyou">{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/13934/virendra_sharma/ealing%2C_southall|title=Virendra Sharma MP, Ealing, Southall|website=TheyWorkForYou}}</ref> Sharma held the seat at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 General Election]]. As a new MP in 2008, Sharma signed a letter drafted by [[Keith Vaz]] on behalf of Shahrokh Mireskandari, for which Vaz was criticised for not declaring his relationship with the family. Sharma said that Vaz had not informed him of the relationship and that he would "be more questioning before I sign a letter in future".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Syal|first1=Rajeev|title=Vaz urged to quit key Commons job|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/sep/21/keithvaz|access-date=7 April 2015|newspaper=Observer|date=21 September 2008}}</ref>

In November 2008, the Labour government gave Sharma the role of [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]]<ref name="Ealing Times article: Virendra Sharma">{{cite web|url=http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/3823080.virendra-sharma-celebrates-promotion/|title=Virendra Sharma celebrates promotion|website=Ealing Times}}</ref> to the [[Minister of State]] at the [[Treasury]] and [[Home Office]], [[Phil Woolas]], who had responsibility for borders and immigration. Sharma resigned from this post in January 2009 in opposition to the Labour government's proposal to build a third runway at [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow Airport]].

Sharma is a member of the parliamentary [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|select committee]]s on [[Health Select Committee|Health]], [[Joint Committee on Human Rights|Human Rights]] and [[International Development Committee|International Development]]. He has made official overseas visits as an MP to [[Cyprus]], [[Kenya]], regions of [[India]], [[Mauritius]] and [[South Korea]]. He is Vice-Chair of the [[All-Party Parliamentary Group]] for [[Tamil people|Tamils]].<ref name="Register Of All-Party Groups">{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/tamils.htm|title=House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Groups as at 30 July 2015 : Tamils|website=publications.parliament.uk}}</ref> He supported [[David Miliband]] in the [[2010 Labour Party (UK) leadership election|2010 Labour leadership election]].

In 2016, in a reversal of his previous stance, Sharma announced that he now supported Heathrow expansion.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cityam.com/247605/quit-government-over-heathrow-expansion-why-changed-my-mind|title=I quit government over Heathrow expansion: This is why I changed my mind|publisher=City AM|date=16 August 2016|language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, Sharma voted against the bill on triggering [[Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|Article 50]] in the House of Commons, expressing his concern over [[Brexit negotiations|Brexit's]] potential effects on the economy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/virendra-sharma-other-labour-mps-to-vote-against-brexit-bill/story-v6Gk7uD19Jx34dDd2GCwkN.html|title=Virendra Sharma, other Labour MPs to vote against Brexit bill|date=28 January 2017|work=hindustantimes.com/|access-date=13 July 2017|language=en}}</ref>

In 2019, Sharma lost a vote of no-confidence at his Constituency Labour Party: the reasons given by opponents were his low attendance at party meetings, slow response to constituents communications and unwillingness to campaign against toxic emissions from the redevelopment of the Old Gasworks site (Southall Waterside).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/seventh-labour-mp-in-two-years-loses-confidence-vote-after-revolt-by-activists-a4100986.html|title=Seventh Labour MP in two years loses confidence vote after revolt by activists|date=26 March 2019|access-date=13 July 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Sharma has been married to Nirmala since 1968. They have a son and daughter and three grandchildren.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.246106 |entry=Sharma, Virendra |encyclopedia=Who's Who |year=2007|title=Sharma, Virendra, (Born 5 April 1947), MP (Lab) Ealing and Southall, since July 2007 }}</ref> He has been the vice-chair of [[All-party parliamentary group|APPG]] for [[Hinduism in the United Kingdom|British Hindu]]s.<ref name="gita1" /> He is currently a [[school governor]] at the Three Bridges and Wolf Fields schools.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.virendrasharma.com/ Virendra Sharma site]
*{{UK MP links | parliament = mr-virendra-sharma/1604 | guardian = 11162/virendra-sharma | publicwhip = Virendra_Sharma | theywork = virendra_sharma | record = Virendra-Sharma/Ealing-Southall/542 | bbc = 61606.stm | journalisted = }}
*[http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances%2Dby%2Dmp/virendra%2Dsharma/ UK Parliament Website: details of Sharma's parliamentary expenses]
*[http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/yourmps/ 'Ealing Times' newspaper column] written by Sharma and other Ealing MPs until 2008
*[http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ealingsouthall UK Polling Report: Ealing Southall profile] including detail on Sharma

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{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Piara Khabra]] }}
{{s-ttl
| title = Member of Parliament for [[Ealing Southall (UK Parliament constituency)|Ealing Southall]]
| years = [[2007 Ealing Southall by-election|2007]]–present
}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}

{{London Labour Party MPs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Virendra}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British Hindus]]
[[Category:British politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2005–2010]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2010–2015]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2015–2017]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2017–2019]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2019–present]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Ealing]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People from Southall]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]

Virendra Sharma - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:UK MPs 2019– to :Category:UK MPs 2019–present per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy