Councillor 'never imagined' House of Lords honour

A Sheffield councillor has said he never imagined being given a seat in the House of Lords following his "humble farming background" in Kashmir.

Shaffaq Mohammed, Baron Mohammed of Tinsley, told the House of his upbringing and the importance of education during his maiden speech on Thursday.

The former leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Sheffield City Council was nominated for a life peerage in December.

He told members during a debate on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: "I see my arrival as a mark of this House's enduring commitment to represent all walks of life, to recognise the importance of lived experiences alongside legal, academic, and business expertise."

Lord Mohammed, who is still serving as a councillor for Sheffield's Ecclesall ward, also served as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and Humber from 2019 to 2020, the Local Democracy Service reports.

He arrived in the UK with his mother Khadija Bi in 1977, when he was four years old.

The family settled in the Tinsley area of Sheffield, which Lord Mohammed described as "poor in material wealth but rich in spirit".

His father, Mohammed Saddique, a farmer, worked in the steel industry but like many others, lost his job during the 1980s, with the family relying on the state for support.

Lord Mohammed said: "Never could I have imagined, as a child born in Kashmir to parents from a humble farming background, that one day I would stand here amongst you - not as an observer, but as an equal - entrusted with the responsibility to speak up for communities like the one that raised me."

Although he excelled in school, Lord Mohammed said financial necessity forced him to start working at 16.

Yet he remained committed to his education, continuing his A-levels at Loxley College and becoming the first member of his family to go to university.

After graduating in business from the University of Sheffield, he dedicated himself to youth work before being elected onto Sheffield City Council in 2004.

Drawing on his experience working with young people not in education, employment or training, he expressed his support for the bill's measures that require local authorities to maintain contact with home-educated children.

"My Lords, I owe everything I have achieved to the resilience of my parents, the kindness of strangers who believed in me, and the opportunities afforded by this great country," he said.

"It is now my privilege to give back - to serve your Lordships' House with the same spirit of duty and hope that has brought me here."

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