Political Career
Mahmood is a graduate of UCE Birmingham and a former engineer with a trade union background. He was a Birmingham City Councillor from 1990–1992.
In 2001, Mahmood was selected for the Perry Barr seat by an election of local Labour party members.
Though Khalid held the seat for Labour in the 2001 election, his share of the vote fell by 16.5%, much of which went to the Liberal Democrat candidate Jon Hunt, who ran on an 'anti-sleaze' ticket. Mahmood subsequently increased his share of the vote slightly at the 2005 election, though his majority fell by 805 votes. He was again elected in 2010.
He has voted for the introduction of national ID cards, student top-up fees, anti-terrorism laws and he voted against investigating the Iraq war.
He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Office Minister Tony McNulty from 10 November 2005 until 6 September 2006, when he resigned after signing a letter calling for Prime Minister Tony Blair to step down. Pakistani-born Mahmood stated that he was "flabbergasted and shocked" after he learned that bin Laden was living in a city with thousands of Pakistani troops, reviving questions about alleged links between al-Qaeda and elements in Pakistan's security forces.
Read more about this topic: Khalid Mahmood
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