Keith Vaz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Vaz
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee | |
| In office 26 July 2007 – 6 September 2016 |
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| Preceded by | John Denham |
| Succeeded by | Tim Loughton (acting) |
| Minister of State for Europe | |
| In office 9 May 1999 – 11 June 2001 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Succeeded by | Peter Hain |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester East |
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| In office 11 June 1987 – 6 November 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Bruinvels |
| Succeeded by | Claudia Webbe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz
26 November 1956 Aden Colony (now Yemen) |
| Political party |
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| Spouse | Maria Fernandes |
| Relations |
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| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (MA) |
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East. He served for 32 years, from 1987 to 2019. He was part of the Labour Party.
Keith Vaz is known as the longest-serving British Asian MP in the UK Parliament. He also served as the Minister for Europe from 1999 to 2001. In 2006, he became a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of important advisors to the King or Queen.
In 2019, Keith Vaz announced he was retiring from Parliament. He did not stand for re-election that year. However, in 2024, he tried to become an MP again for the One Leicester party. He was not successful in this election.
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Early Life and Education
Keith Vaz was born in a place called Aden on 26 November 1956. At that time, Aden was a British colony, but it is now part of Yemen. His parents were Anthony Xavier and Merlyn Verona Vaz. His family came from Goa, which is now a state in India.
In 1965, Keith moved to England with his family. They settled in a town called Twickenham. His father worked in the airline industry. His mother was a teacher and also worked part-time at a store. Keith's father passed away when Keith was 14 years old.
Keith's mother, Merlyn Vaz, later moved to Leicester. She became a Labour councillor for Leicester City Council. She served on the council for 14 years.
Keith went to St Joseph's Convent in Aden. In England, he attended Latymer Upper School in London. He then studied law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which is part of Cambridge University. He earned a degree in 1979.
Family Life
Keith Vaz has two sisters. His older sister, Valerie Vaz, is also an MP. She has been the MP for Walsall South since 2010. His other sister, Penny McConnell, is a solicitor.
Keith Vaz lives in London with his wife, Maria Fernandes. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
Starting a Career
Before becoming a politician, Keith Vaz worked as a solicitor. A solicitor is a type of lawyer who gives legal advice and handles legal matters.
In 1982, he worked as a solicitor for the local council in Richmond upon Thames. Later, he became a senior solicitor for the London Borough of Islington.
In 1985, he was chosen to be the Labour Party candidate for the Leicester East area. He found a job in Leicester as a solicitor at a law centre. He worked there until he was elected to Parliament in 1987.
Political Journey
Keith Vaz became a member of the Labour Party in 1982. In 1983, he first ran as a Labour candidate in a general election. He also ran in the European Parliament election in 1984.
On 11 June 1987, Keith Vaz was elected as the Member of Parliament for Leicester East. He won against the existing MP, Peter Bruinvels. He was one of the first British Asian MPs to enter the House of Commons.
Keith Vaz was re-elected many times. He won elections in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2017. This shows he was a very popular choice for the people of Leicester East for a long time.
He held many different roles in Parliament.
- From 1987 to 1992, he was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. This committee looks at issues related to home affairs, like policing and immigration. He later became the chairman of this committee from 2007 to 2016.
- From 1993 to 1994, he was part of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- From 2002 to 2007, he was a senior Labour member of the Select Committee for Constitutional Affairs.
In 1992, Keith Vaz became a Shadow Junior Environment Minister. This was his first "frontbench" role, meaning he was a spokesperson for the opposition party. In 1994, a law he had supported, the Race Relations (Remedies) Bill, was passed. This law allowed for more compensation for people who had faced racial discrimination.
He then held several government positions:
- From 1997, he was a Parliamentary Private Secretary.
- From May to October 1999, he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Department.
- From October 1999 to June 2001, he served as the Minister for Europe. This was a very important role in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Keith Vaz also held positions within the Labour Party. He was an elected member of the National Executive Committee. He also served as the vice-chair of the Women, Race and Equality Committee. Since 2000, he has supported the Labour Party Race Action Group. In 2006, he became the Chairman of the Ethnic Minority Taskforce.
He also worked on a committee that looked at the Criminal Finances Bill in 2016. This bill aimed to fight against money laundering and corruption.
Stepping Down from Parliament
On 10 November 2019, Keith Vaz announced that he was retiring from Parliament. He said he would not stand for re-election in the general election that month.
After Parliament
In January 2020, Keith Vaz was elected as the chairman of the Leicester East local Labour Party.
He is also the founder of Silver Star Diabetes. This is a charity based in Leicester that helps people learn about diabetes. The charity uses Mobile Diabetes Units to offer health checks at community events. They also run a weekly "Diabetes Chai Chat" with experts. The charity has held health camps in many countries, including Bangladesh, Tunisia, and India.
Trying to Return to Parliament
In October 2023, there were reports that Keith Vaz was thinking about running for MP again in Leicester East. On 7 June 2024, it was announced that he would indeed stand for election. He ran for the One Leicester party. Because of this, he was no longer a member of the Labour Party. He did not win the election, finishing in fifth place.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2017
