Anas Sarwar has continued a family tradition in political precedent setting by becoming the UK’s first Muslim to lead a party. Sarwar’s father, Mohammed, was the first Muslim MP, elected to Glasgow Central in 1997, before going on to be governor of the Punjab region in his native Pakistan. Now, the younger Sarwar has been elected to lead Scottish Labour, beating fellow MSP Monica Lennon by 57.6% to 42.4%. Born in Glasgow in 1983, Sarwar remembers his first political memory being a threat made against his mother. In 2015, he lost his seat to the Scottish National party’s Alison Thewliss as the party swept Scotland, winning all but one of the constituencies north of the border.

Source: The Guardian February 27, 2021 17:03 UTC