The unlikely political resurrection of Keith Vaz

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Natasha Feroze has narrated this article for you to listen to.

When Keith Vaz announced his ambition to stand as an independent for Leicester East in the general election, no one in my hometown was surprised. Vaz may be a joke nationally, known for a fondness for rent boys. But in Leicester East, he remains something of a local hero. It may seem astonishing to the rest of the country, but it’s quite possible that despite everything, come July, Vaz will make a triumphant return.

Leicester was one of the first British cities to have a majority non-white population and its British Indians are a highly prized voting bloc. They are the country’s largest immigrant group: young, fast-growing and aspirational. For decades, Vaz represented this group’s connection to the Labour party, and when he stood down from the Commons in 2019, there was a drift of Hindus and Muslims away from their left-leaning political roots.