🔴 WASEEM ZAFFAR, BIRMINGHAM COUNCILLOR, DIES AGED 44

Senior Birmingham councillor Waseem Zaffar dies aged 44. Former Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group member at the heart of the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter ban controversy, one-time ally of Khalid Mahmood, and tipped by many to be Labour Party’s choice for a future Birmingham Council leader, his passing in Pakistan shocks Birmingham politics.
Waseem Zaffar, a senior Birmingham city councillor, has died at the age of 44. His death was confirmed by Birmingham City Council, though no cause of death has been released, and authorities have not treated it as suspicious.
Zaffar represented Lozells Ward from 2011 and held a number of senior positions within the council, including cabinet responsibilities spanning transport, equalities and social justice, and neighbourhood scrutiny committees.
Colleagues paid tribute to Zaffar following the announcement of his death. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood, issued a short statement expressing her shock and extending condolences to his family.
During his time in office, he was publicly described as having moved within Birmingham Labour politics under the influence of Khalid Mahmood, the long-serving former Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, a figure with significant influence within Birmingham Labour networks.
Claims that the pair remained close associates in later years have been disputed by figures familiar with both men. Mahmood is not related to Shabana Mahmood, whose father is Mahmood Ahmed, a former chair of Birmingham’s Labour Party.
Zaffar’s standing inside Birmingham Labour was also the subject of internal criticism in recent years. In an interview with The Times, former Labour councillor Shabina Bano alleged she faced coordinated pressure and bullying from activists linked to a pro-Zaffar bloc during internal leadership manoeuvring.
Labour said it did not recognise her account and stated that an internal investigation found no evidence to substantiate her allegations. Bano also said Zaffar did not personally pressure her to vote for him.
In 2017, Zaffar resigned from a senior equalities role after a dispute involving a faith-based school uniform policy, a row that drew national attention and intensified debate about community influence and governance in the city. The council later cleared him of wrongdoing and he returned to senior responsibilities.
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