Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Pro-Islam address by new UK Minister Shahid Malik.
Fact
Old video. Malik’s tenure in the UK Parliament ended in 2010.
Keir Starmer was elected as the new UK Prime Minister with the Labour Party recording a landslide victory in the recently held general elections. Now, a video of a man identifying himself as the ‘Minister of Justice’ is being widely circulated on social media platforms. Users shared the nearly two-minute-long-video “predicting” the “beginning of the UK’s fall.”
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
The man in the viral footage can be heard saying, “Although I am now Minister for Justice…I was until three weeks ago Minister for International Development…my work as International Development Minister has resulted in the next three years with the UK assisting Bangladesh with 370 million Pounds, Pakistan 480 million Pounds, Palestine 243 million Pounds …”
“I am proud of the achievements of Muslims in this country from 97. In 1997 we got our first Muslim MP, in 2001 we had two Muslim MPs…In 2014 we’ll have 16 Muslim MPs. At this rate the whole parliament will be Muslim. But you know we’ve got four Muslim MPs. There should be 20 Muslim MPs in parliament and inshallah very shortly we’ll see that…,” he is heard saying.
The text overlay at the beginning of the video states, “Shahid Malik Justice Minister Labour MP for Dewsbury.”
Multiple social media users identified him to be “The new Minister for Labour and Social Welfare in the UK”
Newschecker received the claim on our WhatsApp tipline (+91-9999499044) requesting to be fact checked.
Fact Check/Verification
A keyword search for “Shahid Malik,” “minister” and “UK” on Google led us to his profile on the UK Parliament website. “Mr Shahid Malik is no longer a Member, but was most recently the Labour MP for Dewsbury, and left the Commons on 6 May 2010,” it stated.
Malik, a former Labour Party leader, served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Junior Minister) in the Department for International Development from July 2, 2007 to October 5, 2008, stated the website.
He was also the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Department for Communities and Local Government (Planning) from October 5, 2008 to May 15, 2009 and June 9, 2009 to May 6, 2010 respectively.
He had stepped down from the post of the Junior Justice Minister in May 2009 pending “an inquiry into allegations that he paid below-market rent for a house, breaching Britain’s ministerial code,” reported Reuters.
Malik rejoined the UK government as Junior Communities Minister in June 2009 after being cleared in the inquiry. He, however, lost his seat in Dewsbury to the Conservatives in the 2010 elections.
There is no record of his being the UK Labour and Social Welfare Minister, as claimed in the text accompanying the viral video.
Furthermore, we found that the viral video actually features excerpts from Malik’s address at the Global Peace and Unity Event, 2008. Around 3 minutes into the video, he is heard speaking about working with different Muslim organisations, and at the counters of 3:42 minutes, Malik speaks about the UK’s financial assistance to multiple Islamic countries – as in the viral footage.
Malik can be heard saying that he was proud of the “achievements of Muslims in this country..” around 5:46 minutes into the video. He then goes on to detail the number of Muslim MPs in the UK- as heard in the viral video. “…In 2014 we’ll have 16 Muslim MPs. At this rate the whole parliament will be Muslim. But just to say, in case there are journalists here today, that is not my objective. (this statement has been edited out in the viral video). But you know we’ve got four Muslim MPs. There should be 20 Muslim MPs in parliament…” he says.
Also Read: Viral Video Of Joe Biden’s Address After He Opts Out Of US Presidential Race Is A Deepfake
Malik was recently in the news after being charged over an alleged COVID-19 fraud involving the testing company he led. “Shahid Malik, 56, is one of five people accused of fraudulently running the testing firm RT Diagnostics by lying to UK authorities to be approved for Covid testing, providing testing kits that breached regulations and giving ‘fake’ test results to consumers,” Daily Mail reported in April, 2024.
Labour leader Shabana Mahmood is the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in the current UK government. Heidi Alexander and Lord Timpson are currently the Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice. The official UK Parliament website lists Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede and Alex Davies-Jones as the incumbent Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Justice Ministry.
Furthermore, an independent candidate, Iqbal Mohamed won the Dewsbury and Batley constituency in the recently held UK General Elections.
We did not find any “Shahid Malik” in the release listing the UK ‘Ministerial Appointments‘ of July 2024. The list did not mention any minister/secretary for the “Labour and Social Welfare” department either.
Also Read: No, Viral Photo Does Not Show US Vice President Kamala Harris With Her Parents
Conclusion
Hence, Shahid Malik is not a minister in the recently elected Labour government in the UK.
Result: Partly False
Sources
Official Website Of UK Parliament
Report By Reuters, Dated May 16, 2009
Report By BBC, Dated May 7, 2010
YouTube Video By @globalunityevent, Dated December 23, 2008
Official Website Of UK Governmnet
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
