Shockat Adam | |
Office: | Member of Parliament for Leicester South |
Predecessor: | Jonathan Ashworth |
Term Start: | 4 July 2024 |
Majority: | 979 (2.3%) |
Birth Name: | Shockat Hussain Adam Patel |
Birth Date: | 1972 |
Birth Place: | Malawi |
Party: | Independent |
Alma Mater: | University of Manchester |
Shockat Hussain Adam Patel[1] (born 1972) is a British businessman, optometrist, and independent politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Leicester South since 2024.[2] [3]
Adam was born in Malawi,[4] into a Muslim family of Gujarati descent and grew up in Leicester, where he attended sixth-form college. He studied optometry at the University of Manchester. He is a director of Sask Optics which is owned by him, his wife and his brother Ismail Patel.[5]
Adam was the former Leicester chair of Muslim Engagement and Development, and spoke out against the 2022 Leicester unrest between Hindu and Muslim communities in the city.[6] [7] Prior to his candidacy, he had never been a member of a political party, although, in the 2019 general election, he had supported Labour Party candidate Claudia Webbe's campaign in Leicester East.[8]
Adam was elected in the 2024 United Kingdom general election as an independent, beating Labour candidate and Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth in a result that was described as an upset. Backlash against Labour's position on the Israel–Hamas war was a factor in Adam's victory, with Adam saying "this is for Gaza" while holding a Palestinian keffiyeh aloft[5] when the results were announced.[9] [10] In an interview with The Observer, Adam said his victory was not sectarian, and that his campaign had also focused on the National Health Service and the housing crisis.[11]
He is the brother of Ismail Patel, the founder of the Friends of Al-Aqsa NGO based in Leicester.[12] [5]