British-Yemeni councillor selected as Labour MP candidate for Sheffield

British-Yemeni councillor and human rights lawyer Abtisam Mohamed has been selected as Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the Sheffield Central constituency.

The win means she will be able to stand for Labour at the next General Election in 2024 to become a member of British parliament.

"I’d just like to say a huge thank you to every member in Sheffield who has supported me… I want to reassure everyone in Sheffield Central that I will always use my voice to speak up for you, demand better and fight for a fairer, greener future," Mohamed tweeted on Monday morning.

Final votes for the constituency’s Labour candidacy were cast on Sunday.

Mohamed may stand a good chance at general election victory, as Labour has fared well in the Sheffield Central constituency in past votes. In 2019, just over two-thirds of votes cast in the constituency were in favour of Labour candidate and current MP Paul Blomfield.

This morning, the news is just starting to sink in and I’m feeling deeply inspired by the strength of support. I want to reassure everyone in Sheffield Central that I will always use my voice to speak up for you, demand better and fight for a fairer, greener future. 2/

— Abtisam Mohamed (@Abtisam_Mohamed) December 5, 2022

Blomfield congratulated Mohamed on her success, saying she would be a "brilliant MP".

Delighted to congratulate ⁦@Abtisam_Mohamed⁩ on her selection as the new ⁦@UKLabour⁩ for Sheffield Central. She’ll be a brilliant MP. pic.twitter.com/w4iE6b2Ily

— Paul Blomfield MP (@PaulBlomfieldMP) December 4, 2022

Blomfield has held the seat as a Labour MP since May 2010, but announced earlier this year that he would stand down at the next general election.

The road to victory was far from easy for Mohamed, who said she and other candidates had faced "huge amounts of abuse, racism or transphobia" during the campaign.

"It has been very difficult to sift through this and continue to run positive campaigns, yet we all managed it," she wrote.

While on the campaign trail, Mohamed spoke of her upbringing as the daughter of a Yemeni steelworker and said she had "experienced the pain and poverty caused by the Tories".

I’m thrilled to announce I’m putting myself forward to be our next Labour MP in Sheffield Central.

I’ll fight for change for our communities, our city and our country, every single day.

Join our campaign and let’s bring about the change we want to see.🌹https://t.co/Cwmc4iSkoB pic.twitter.com/7zT3Ll0z0m

— Abtisam Mohamed (@Abtisam_Mohamed) October 5, 2022

"I know how tough life can be. It's why everything I’ve ever done has been to make sure no one is held back by a lack of opportunity… I'm from Sheffield, I'm experienced and I'm ready to serve you as your Labour MP," she assured voters.