Who is Mohsin Hussain? Keighley councillor suspended by Labour over controversial past
The Labour Party has suspended Bradford councillor Mohsin Hussain, pending an internal investigation.
Sir Keir Starmer told Mr Moore he would “look into this straight away”, and within hours the party had suspended the Keighley Central councillor.
A Labour Party spokesperson later said: “These are serious allegations. The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures."
Who is Mohsin Hussain?
Mohsin Hussain has been the Labour councillor for Keighley Central since 2021, when he was first elected.
He was re-elected in 2024, and has been planning to stand in May’s upcoming elections.
He is the son of former Bradford mayor Abid Hussain, who died on Christmas Eve in 2020 of coronavirus.
Abid Hussain was born in Pakistan in 1959 and came with his family to the UK in 1971, aged 12, the BBC reported. He went to Greenhead Grammar School in Keighley.
Coun Hussain took his father’s place in Keighley Central ward. He has a twin brother, and the pair got married in a double wedding ceremony.
What did Robbie Moore MP say at PMQs?
The Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore raised the councillor’s conviction for causing actual bodily harm and dangerous driving more than a decade ago in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Mr Moore told MPs: “In 2014, a man in my constituency was ambushed and violently beaten with a pickaxe handle and left lying in the street with serious injuries.
“At the time of the conviction the judge called it a ‘brutal attack’.
“Many constituents have contacted me to express their concern that the perpetrator of this attack is still a sitting Labour councillor in Keighley, and was recently pictured celebrating an election with convicted crack cocaine and heroin dealers.
“Prime Minister, on behalf of all victims of serious crime will you, as the leader of the Labour Party, ensure that Coun Mohsin Hussain is not permitted to stand in the local elections this May?”
Sir Keir responded, thanking the Tory MP for raising this and said: “I will look into this straight away.”
What was Coun Hussain convicted of?
Coun Hussain was 19 when he was handed a suspended prison sentence for his involvement in an armed street attack on a man in Keighley.
According to court reports, he used a pickaxe handle, while another attacker used a baseball bat.
He was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, along with 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Coun Hussain told The Yorkshire Post on Wednesday: “Like I’ve said before I made poor decisions in the past.
“It was in my teenage years when a mistake was made and I genuinely believe that everybody should obviously receive a second chance.
“I was quite happy that I did receive that second chance.
“The people of Keighley Central elected me in 2021 and then re-elected me in 2024. This is just a campaign against me from Robbie Moore.
“It’s been year on year when he’s tried to bring my reputation down.”
What did Coun Hussain say about the photograph?
Mr Moore told the House of Commons residents had raised concerns that Coun Hussain “was recently pictured celebrating an election with convicted crack cocaine and heroin dealers”.
Coun Hussain said he may have been at meals with people convicted of drug offences, but said this was “out of my control”.
“I’m always invited into meals and I don’t control the audience, I don’t control who the host calls,” he said.
“People are called and there are probably people there who have got convictions, but that’s out of my control.
“I have absolutely no connection with these people, myself personally, and I condemn drug supply in Keighley.
“I’ve always been working very closely with the police, with our youth services.”
Will Coun Hussain stand in the May elections?
Coun Hussain told this paper that he wished to stand in May’s Bradford Council elections, although he has since been suspended by the Labour Party.
He said: “It is never going to be easy - this government has come in and has had to make some tough decisions.
“We have had 14 years of austerity, it was never going to be easy.
“In no way has the Labour Party pretended this was going to be easy, all we need is time to make sure change is going to happen.
“Following this new local government settlement from the Government, from April and May I think people will start to see those changes.”
A ChangeUK petition with more than a thousand signatures has called on Coun Hussain not to stand.