From humble beginnings to political reform—why I left the Conservative

30 Jun

30Jun

A Product of Britain’s Promise

I was born and raised in a council estate within Lewisham Borough, Southeast London, by hardworking, emigrant working-class parents who came to Britain in the late 1970. I am a British practising Muslim.

My dad was the main bread winner working for the worlds number one airline and mom a part time fashion technician. My family didn’t come from privilege, but we were taught to value education, effort, and integrity.

Britain, we believed, was a great country to be proud of, where if you worked hard and played fair, you could build a good life. And this is what i set out to do.

I worked my way up and became a qualify Accountant and received my fellowship, from entrepreneurial financial services audit, holding a portfolio to then entering the world of investment banking. I succeeded in the City, contributed heavily to the UK tax system, later moved to Dubai for just under a decade, and eventually became an entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, an international author — a disrupter, building businesses from scratch and creating opportunity for others. I have a deep love for my country; it’s the great country that gave me the roof over my head, the water i drank, that essentially shaped who I am today. I’m deeply grateful for what this country gave me. But I’ve also grown deeply concerned by what it’s become.

Why I Left London in 2014 — When Safety Failed the Working Class

In 2014, I left London not out of choice, but out of necessity. Streets I once walked with confidence became increasingly unsafe — particularly for women.

Knife crime, anti-social behaviour, and a growing sense of lawlessness pushed me to leave the country altogether. I moved to Dubai, where I lived for many years. There, I experienced the kind of public safety, civic order, and respect for law that had all but disappeared from my hometown.

I saw first-hand that when leaders lead and systems serve the people, low state intervention, no taxes, ordinary lives can flourish. Meanwhile, back in London, those basic standards were crumbling. At the time i left it was a steep crumb, but if compared to now, its a downward spiral which we need to control before its to late, is the country that i call home broken?

My COVID Wake-Up Call: Watching the UK From Abroad

During the 2020–2021 pandemic, I followed Britain’s COVID updates religiously. From my then home in Dubai, I watched each press conference, read every briefing, and stayed tuned into the country’s political discourse. But the more I watched, the more my heart ached.

I saw a government unprepared. Local councils running wild with unchecked policies. Bureaucracy flourishing while working families struggled to stay afloat. Something deep within me shifted. I felt called — not just emotionally, but morally — to come back. To serve. To speak up. To act. I could no longer be far away from the country I love, Great Britain, and see it crumble.

Returning in 2022 — And Finding a City Stifled by Poor Governance When I returned to London in 2022, I was ready to help. What I wasn’t ready for was the overwhelming scale of dysfunction.

LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods) had taken over Lewisham and surrounding boroughs — imposed with minimal consultation, often ignoring the needs of carers, disabled residents, and small businesses.
Taking my elderly parents to the GP or to do a grocery shop became a logistical nightmare — with roads closed, traffic backed up, and no clear justification for the disruption.
Crime hadn’t improved. Knife crime, harassment, and fear still ruled the headlines, especially for young people and women. Holding my mobile out in public was just not possible, I had to hold it for dear life, sneaking it under my long sleeves if I had to check the map for instance.

London didn’t just feel broken. It felt deliberately ignored by those who claim to represent it.

From the City to the Grassroots — I Know What Waste Looks Like

Having worked in investment banking and built companies as a start up entrepreneur, I understand the cost of wasteful spending — and the long-term damage it causes when it's left unchecked.

Back in London, I found councils operating like closed shops:

Spending millions on vanity projects,
Hiring expensive consultants with little public value,
Making sweeping policy decisions like LTNs with no economic or logistical analysis,
Raising council tax while cutting basic services.
Tolls, congestion charges, and ULEZ.

And worst of all? No transparency. No accountability. No consequences. Hard earned income just literally being swiped out just by stepping foot out of my front door. That is not governance — this is neglect, government, local council and national council just taxing us in every possible way possible and nobody listening to us. Unhealthy democracy in labour run councils where there was very little or no opposition.

I embraced conservatism from an early stage in my life, with the late Lady Thatcher serving as my inspiration for entering politics. To serve dedication, uphold low taxes, preserve the sovereignty of our great nation, minimize government intervention, and uplift the less privileged among us.

Why I Joined Reform UK — The Only Party With the Courage to Confront Waste

But 2024 General election result, the ache, and pain then the benefit of doubt given to the new leadership.

Conservatism began to feel entirely regressive—its broken principles, faults, and mistakes due to governing left, far left becoming more apparent, which I tried to overlook; however, its resistance to modernity, innovation, technological progress, and the transformative potential.

As an entrepreneur I'm visionary, I thrive on visible results in progress and identifying key inflection points that shape the future. Under the new leadership, however, I saw only backward thinking and stagnation. There was no compelling vision to move the country forward, they had become politically tired and morally timid.

I felt politically homeless with them, trying so hard to find my values within them and but feeling drained and frustrated. They ignored the very people — who once trusted them to protect British values. and that’s ultimately why I chose to leave.

I joined Reform UK because they are the disruptors in the political landscape, they are not afraid to:

Stop the boats, secure our boarders that need to be controlled,
Publicly sharing British values without guilt, as this is who we are British
Demand public scrutiny of local council budgets
Eliminate wasteful spending and redirect funds to real public needs
Call out bureaucratic bloat in both local and national government
Rebuild public trust through clear, measurable outcomes

This isn’t about ideology. It’s about fairness, value, and truth. Reform UK understands what real families need — and is willing to fight for it. Family, community and country.

I aspire to a nation worthy of pride.

Although I do yet have children, I hope one day. When that time comes, I want them to grow up in a that values hard work, women and girls, upholds family values, and listens to its citizens. I envision a Great Britain that prioritises safety, meritocracy, and fairness—rather than rhetoric, empty slogans, and short-term gains. That vision seems unattainable under the current political parties, but it is achievable under Reform UK.

My Stand, With Love I didn’t return for nostalgia. I returned because I could no longer sit by and watch my country deteriorate. I’m standing up now not just for myself — but for every woman from a working-class background who wants her voice heard, her safety protected, and her contribution respected.

This is why I’ve joined Reform UK. This is why I’ve left the old parties behind. This is why I’m fighting — for our Great nation - Great Britain, for present and future generations.

Reform UK Will Win — Because People Are Ready for Truth From London to Liverpool, people are waking up:

They see their taxes rising while services collapse.
They see neighbourhoods neglected by political cronies.
They see a nation in need of serious, fresh leadership, a disruptor that can be bold, innovative, and fresh, be modern yet traditional and true to real British values.

Reform UK feels like where I belong, honest, grounded, and bold. It speaks to the worker, the families, the carer, the shop owner — the people politics. We will win local elections in May 2026.

We will grow nationally.

And we will bring accountability back to British politics.