Typical Labour MP?

Fury as Labour MP in rubbish-ridden city pushes for airport 4,000 miles away.

Pest control experts say the uncollected waste in Birmingham has created a "banquet" for rats, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

By Ciaran McGrath, Senior News Reporter

13:06, Sat, Mar 29, 2025 

Robert Jenrick and Labour MP Tahir Ali (Image: GETTY)

Robert Jenrick has launched a scathing attack on Tahir Ali, the Labour MP for Birmingham New Hall, for backing a campaign to build an airport in Kashmir while rubbish is currently "piled high” in the UK’s second city. Mr Ali took to social media to voice his support for the project of building the airport in Mirpur, a district within the disputed Kashmir region currently administered by Pakistan.

Explaining that he had attended a press conference organised by fellow Mohammed Yasin MP along with 20 others, Mr Ali said on X: “There has been a long-standing promise for an international airport in Mirpur, which has yet to be met. This causes significant issues to a number of my constituents, who are having to drive over three hours to get to the nearest airport in Pakistan. I will continue to push for this cause, and pursue this issue until permission is granted for a new airport.”

Overflowing bins in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham (Image: PA)

However, Shadow Justice Secretary Mr Jenrick, beaten by Kemi Badenoch to the Conservative Party leadership last year, was singularly unimpressed, not least because Mirpur is roughly 4,000 miles from Birmingham.

Responding to Mr Ali’s post on X, he said: "You’re an MP for Birmingham, not Mirpur.

"The streets of your city are literally piled high in rubbish thanks to your Labour council. Focus on the UK."

Birmingham is facing mounting rubbish piles as refuse workers continue their indefinite strike over a dispute regarding pay and job roles. Express.