LABOUR MP Naz Shah has been on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis supporting constituents who have lost livelihoods and fighting for their religious rights.

By Anila Baig

She tells Bradford Means Business about how she has adapted to life under the current restrictions herself while holding the government to account and, like other parents, home schooling her three children.

TO say Naz Shah has had a drama in her life is a bit of an understatement. She was just six when she found herself on the streets surrounded by bin bags full of belongings when her dad ran off with a 16-year-old neighbour. At 12 she was taken out of school so didn’t complete her formal education and three years later she was married off to her first cousin.

Her mother’s conviction for murder after years of suffering domestic abuse is well-documented and Naz campaigned hard to get her released from prison.

Despite being robbed of her childhood she was still able to turn her life around and establish a successful career in the NHS as a commissioner. Then she made history when she entered politics winning the Labour West seat from celebrity Respect candidate George Galloway.

Having suffered herself she speaks out regularly against topics like forced marriage and so- called honour crimes. But for the past year her workload has all been based around Covid.

And she is scathing about the government’s handling of the crisis.

She said: “Everything I do at the moment is Covid related. The government was caught on the back foot, all their attention was on Brexit so when we were plunged into the coronavirus crisis we were not pandemic prepared.”

She reels off a list of governmental failings: the unavailability of PPE equipment, the failure of the Serco created test and trace app and, the latest, the roll out of the vaccine.

As a former NHS commissioner she has huge sympathy for staff on the front line.

“We have had ten years of austerity and underfunding so of course the NHS would be overwhelmed, why would we expect anything different?”

After school Naz had various jobs including at the Seabrook crisp factory but then found her vocation working as a disability rights advocate.

She was head-hunted into the health service and promoted rapidly until by 2009 she was working as a commissioning manager for NHS Bradford.

Naz passionately believes in the vaccine and wants to allay her constituents’ fears about it so took part in a cohort study.

“I want to improve confidence in the vaccine so I took part in the trial.

“My constituents have suffered a lot at the hands of this virus having been disproportionately affected. I had one young person on the phone to me crying that they couldn’t visit their mother who was in hospital with the illness. I was trying to arrange visitation but his mother passed away while he was on the phone to me. It was very distressing and you do feel helpless.

“The BAME community has suffered so much but there are some myths about the virus that I want to dispel which is why I took part in the trial.”

Some mistakenly believe the vaccine contain non-halal or non-vegetarian ingredients.

But it all boils down to people not having faith in the government.

“A major factor why the public doesn’t respect the government is the Dominic Cummings fiasco.”

The Prime Minister’s special adviser travelled to County Durham during the first lockdown which he claimed was to allegedly test his eyesight resulting in widespread ridicule. This turned to anger when he wasn’t reprimanded while others are handed out hundreds of pounds of fines for breaking lockdown rules.

Already a busy MP Naz went into turbo drive when the emergency Coronavirus Bill was introduced and religious communities feared that loved ones would have to be cremated instead of buried.

“Tabling the amendment was the hardest campaigning I have ever done and I think I must have slept just four hours a night for those three nights. I was working 20 hour days but it was an unprecedented time and I needed to secure the rights of Muslims and the Jewish community.”

In the end more than 100 MPs from across the political spectrum signed the amendment and the religious rights were respected.

She said the announcement of the second lockdown was particularly difficult as it was on the eve of Eid.

“I was at the caterers buying food and I had to find out about the lockdown via Twitter which was not ideal.”

Her caseload has shot up during the lockdowns.

“So many people contacted me devastated about losing their jobs, the wedding industry in particular has been decimated by the pandemic and a lot of people have fallen through the gaps and not meeting the criteria for financial help.

“It was taking a toll on me on a personal level and I realised I had to take time for myself and make sure I was healthy and the same with my team, ensuring their well-being.”

She kept healthy in the first lockdown by going for walks in Lister Park.

“I had to be back to home-school the children so I would go early before 7am. But it has been harder to do that lately.”

She praised her constituents for sticking to the rules and taking the advice to stay at home.

“Most people here have observed the lockdown.

“My real worry is for those people who are isolated and young people who are missing out on their schooling and what affect this is going to have on them long-term.

“I would urge anyone who feels anxious or worried to seek help.”