LONDON: In the July 4th elections, British-Pakistani attorney Mehreen Malik is running against Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party and potential prime minister, in the Central London constituency. The goal is to keep Sir Starmer out of 10 Downing Street as the leader of the next government.
High-flying lawyer Malik has been awarded a ticket by the Conservative Party to fight former lawyer Sir Starmer, who last won from the same London seat. Starmer is currently attempting to win it again while polls indicate that Labour will likely secure a sizable majority to form the next government.
The main opponent of Starmer, though, is Mehreen Malik, a native of Lahore. She is the granddaughter of a former Supreme Court judge who later rose to the position of chief election commissioner for Pakistan, the niece of the late Senate chairman Waseem Sajjad, and the daughter of Shahid Malik, the former Pakistani high commissioner to India.
Her goal, according to her interview with the News, is to defeat Sir Keir in the Holborn and St. Pancras constituencies.
“I am immensely proud to be given this opportunity as a Conservative Party candidate,” the British-Pakistani barrister said to the reporter. I’m here today to attest to the fact that this is a party of aspiration.It’s challenging to win this seat. I resided in this constituency at graduate student housing in London House in Mecklenburgh Square when I first arrived to London to pursue my legal studies. I live in London. I’m aware of the problems in the area and am confident that I can solve them. I’m able to compete against Sir Keir. He practiced law, and I studied to become a solicitor after graduating from law school. I had worked in Lahore, New York, New Delhi, and several legal businesses in London.”