Keith Vaz
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 to 2019. He was the British Parliament's longest-serving British Asian MP.
Keith Vaz | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee | |
| In office 26 July 2007 – 6 September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | John Denham |
| Succeeded by | Tim Loughton (acting) |
| Minister of State for Europe | |
| In office 9 May 1999 – 11 June 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Succeeded by | Peter Hain |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester East | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 6 November 2019 | |
| 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 | Labour |
| Spouse | Maria Fernandes |
| Relations |
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| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (MA) |
| Website | Official website |
Vaz served as the Minister for Europe between October 1999 and June 2001. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in June 2006. He was Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee from July 2007, but resigned from this role on 6 September 2016 after the Sunday Mirror revealed he had engaged in unprotected sexual activity with male prostitutes and had said he would pay for cocaine if they wished to use it.
At the end of October 2016, Vaz was appointed to the Justice Select Committee; a parliamentary vote to block his appointment was defeated. On 10 November 2019, he said in a statement that he was retiring from Parliament and would not be standing for re-election at the general election the following month.