Ayoub Khan

Ayoub Khan is a British independent politician and barrister who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Perry Barr since 2024.

Early life and education
Khan moved to England from Ratta, Azad Kashmir at six months old. He attended Duddeston Manor School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and a Masters in integrated management systems from the University of Central England. He qualified as a barrister in 2007 after being called to the bar in 2005.

Political career
Khan was first elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in the Aston ward in Birmingham in 2003. He lost the seat in 2004, but represented it again from 2005 to 2012, and 2022 to 2024. During this time, he ran for other positions for the party, including the UK and European parliaments.

During the 2023 Gaza war, Khan was embroiled in controversy over whether he had promoted a conspiracy theory on TikTok, and posted his own videos questioning the extent of the 7 October attacks. He deleted the post, and the Liberal Democrat party said Khan had recognised the comments were offensive and agreed to undertake antisemitism training. Khan stated "[a]t no stage have I considered my material on TikTok offensive, nor have I agreed with anyone that I would undergo a training course in antisemitism. There is simply no need. It illustrates doesn’t it how the media can get it wrong".

Member of Parliament
In May 2024, he quit the Liberal Democrats to fight the general election as an independent, saying he had been told to “hush up” his concerns over the Gaza war but could not do so without compromising his integrity. He was endorsed by the campaign group The Muslim Vote. He was elected as an independent MP for the Birmingham Perry Barr constituency, with 35.5% of the vote, overturning the Labour incumbent Khalid Mahmood’s 15,000 vote majority to win by 507 votes.

Personal life
As of 2007, Khan lived in his childhood home in Aston with his wife Sophia Mohammed and their three children.