Shockat Adam

Shockat Hussain Adam Patel (born 1972 ) is a British businessman, optometrist, and independent politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Leicester South since 2024.

Early life
Adam was born in Malawi, into a Muslim family of Gujarati descent and grew up in Leicester, where he attended sixth-form college. He studied optometry at the University of Manchester. He is a director of Sask Optics which is owned by him, his wife and his brother Ismail Patel.

Career
Adam was the former Leicester chair of Muslim Engagement and Development, and spoke out against the 2022 Leicester unrest between Hindu and Muslim communities in the city. Prior to his candidacy, he had never been a member of a political party, although, in the 2019 general election, he had supported Labour Party candidate Claudia Webbe's campaign in Leicester East.

Adam was elected in the 2024 United Kingdom general election as an independent, beating Labour candidate and Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth in a result that was described as an upset. Backlash against Labour's position on the Israel–Hamas war was a factor in Adam's victory, with Adam saying "this is for Gaza" while holding a Palestinian keffiyeh aloft when the results were announced. In an interview with The Observer, Adam said his victory was not sectarian, and that his campaign had also focused on the National Health Service and the housing crisis.

Personal life
He is the brother of Ismail Patel, the founder of the Friends of Al-Aqsa NGO based in Leicester.