Syed Kamall: Difference between revisions

| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] [[Professor]]

| image = Syed Kamall (2019) (cropped).jpg

| office = Co-Chair of the [[European Conservatives and Reformists]]

| alongside = [[Ryszard Legutko]]

| term_start = 12 June 2014

| term_end = 1 July 2019  

| predecessor = [[Martin Callanan]]

| successor = [[Raffaele Fitto]]

| office1 = [[Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament]]

| term_start1 = 19 November 2013

| term_end1 = 25 November 2014

| predecessor1 = [[Richard Ashworth]]

| successor1 = [[Ashley Fox]]

| office2 = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br>[[Lord Temporal]]

| term_start2 = 11 February 2021<br>[[Life peer|Life peerage]]

| term_end2 =  

| office3 = [[Member of the European Parliament]]<br/>for [[London (European Parliament constituency)|London]]

| term_start3 = 5 May 2005

| term_end3 = [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1 July 2019]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Key dates ahead|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/elections-press-kit/0/key-dates-ahead|publisher=[[European Parliament]]|accessdate=28 May 2019|date=20 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Key dates ahead|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48365702|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]|website=[[BBC News Online]]|accessdate=28 May 2019|date=22 May 2017}}</ref>

| predecessor3 = [[Theresa Villiers]]

| successor3 = [[Lance Forman]]

'''Syed Salah Kamall, Baron Kamall''' (born 15 February 1967) is a British politician and academic. He is [[Professor]] of Politics and International Relations at [[St Mary's University, Twickenham]] and the Academic & Research Director at the [[Institute of Economic Affairs]], a [[classical liberal]] think tank in [[London]]. He represented [[London (European Parliament constituency)|London]] as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] for the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] from 2005 to 2019, serving on the [[International trade|International Trade]] and [[Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee|Economic and Monetary Affairs]] Committees.

From 2013 to 2014 he served as [[Leader]] of the Conservatives in the [[European Parliament]]. In June 2014, Kamall was elected Leader of the [[European Conservatives and Reformists]] in the European Parliament.

In December 2020, it was announced he would be conferred a [[life peerage]] after a [[2020 Political Honours|nomination]] by Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Political Peerages 2020 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2020 |website=Gov.uk |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref>

Kamall was born in Hornsey and brought up in Edmonton, London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=OUN%2Fw%2FRtUrGStC7rbtqxww&scan=1|title=Index entry |accessdate=13 June 2016 |work=FreeBMD |publisher=ONS}}</ref> He is a [[Muslim]],<ref name=Interview/> and of [[Indo-Guyanese]] descent; his father migrated to London from [[Guyana]] in the 1950s.<ref>[http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/3941644.Kingston_Euro_MP_Syed_Kamall_tells_of_terrifying_Indian_ordeal/ Kingston Euro MP Syed Kamall tells of terrifying Indian ordeal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004082846/http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/3941644.Kingston_Euro_MP_Syed_Kamall_tells_of_terrifying_Indian_ordeal/ |date=4 October 2009 }} This Is Local London.</ref>

Kamall was placed on the "[[A-List (Conservative)|A-list]]" of Conservative parliamentary candidates ahead of the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 election]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2006/05/as_promised_thi.html|title=ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Who is on the A-list?|website=conservativehome.blogs.com}}</ref> and was again returned to [[Brussels]] in [[2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2014]]  representing [[London]] as an [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]].

He is also a contributor at the free market public policy think tank [[The Cobden Centre]], one of Europe's think tanks based around the [[Austrian School]] of economics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cobdencentre.org/author/syed-kamall/|title=Syed Kamall &#124; The Cobden Centre}}</ref>

In October 2018, during a debate in which Udo Bullman, the German leader of the [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Socialists and Democrats]] Group linked the political right to extremism, Kamall responded by saying that Nazis were National Socialists who followed left wing policies. There was an angry reaction from the left and he apologised for the offence caused. However, he was angered himself when [[Udo Bullmann]], issued a press release which falsely accused Kamall of calling the S&D Nazis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45965177|title=Tory sorry after socialism 'Nazis' remark|date=24 October 2018|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=27 May 2019|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/24/uk-lawmaker-causes-uproar-in-eu-parliament-for-naz/|title=Conservative causes uproar in EU Parliament for Nazi comment|date=24 October 2018|work=The Washington Times|accessdate=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/conservative-mep-european-parliament-syed-kamall-video/|title=‘You idiot!’ Moment Tory MEP faces chorus of abuse for claiming Hitler ‘was a socialist’|date=24 October 2018|publisher=|accessdate=24 October 2018}}</ref>

In the [[2019 European Parliament election]], Syed Kamall lost his seat in the [[European Parliament]].<ref name="lost seat">{{cite web|date=27 May 2019|title=Jeremy Hunt fears for Tory party's future after election disaster|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/european-elections-2019-conservatives-existence-under-threat-after-worst-ever-result-jeremy-hunt-a4152016.html|accessdate=27 May 2019|website=Evening Standard}}</ref>

In December 2020, it was announced he would be conferred a [[Life Peerage]] after a nomination by Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] as part of the [[2020 Political Honours]] list.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Boris Johnson overrides watchdog to hand Lords seat to Tory donor who backed his leadership bid|url=https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-overrides-watchdog-to-hand-lords-seat-to-tory-donor-who-backed-his-leadership-bid-12170349|access-date=2020-12-23|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref> In January 2021, he was elevated to the Lords as '''Baron Kamall''', of Edmonton in the London Borough of Enfield.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crown Office|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3726512|access-date=2021-02-11|website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}</ref>

Kamall follows [[Islam]].<ref name=Interview>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehome.com/interviews-5/2015/07/interview-syed-kamall-mep-i-would-prefer-people-to-have-a-choice-personally-i-dont-see-why-we-need-a-shortlist.html|title=Interview: Syed Kamall MEP – "I would prefer people to have a choice, personally. I don’t see why we need a shortlist."|publisher=Conservative Home}}</ref> He is married to Sandira Beekoo.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

After leaving the [[European Parliament]], Syed Kamall became the Academic and Research Director at the [[Institute of Economic Affairs]] and Professor of International Relations and Politics at [[St Mary%27s University, Twickenham]].<ref name=SyedKamallIEA>{{cite web |url=https://iea.org.uk/professor-syed-kamall |title=Professor Syed Kamall | website= Institute of Economic Affairs |language=en }}</ref><ref name=SyedKamallStMary>{{cite web |url=https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/staff-directory/syed-kamall |title=Professor Syed Kamall | website= St Mary’s University, Twickenham |language=en }}</ref>

Kamall plays bass guitar and sings in a blues band called Exiled in Brussels.{{cn|date=December 2020}} The lead guitarist is Latvian MEP [[Roberts Zīle]];{{cn|date=December 2020}} the drummer who also plays other instruments is [[Kārlis Būmeisters]], who represented Latvia in the [[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision song contest]] in 2005.{{cn|date=December 2020}} Bumeisters is a well known musician in Latvia, who worked as Roberts Zile’s press officer.{{cn|date=December 2020}}

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