Shahid Malik (born 24 November 1967) is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury since the 2005 general election. He is a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Malik was born in Burnley, Lancashire. He attended Durham University, studied Business Studies at the South Bank Polytechnic in South London and later worked with the East Lancashire Training and Enterprise Council in a business development capacity.

His other main area of work has been in regeneration and the voluntary sector. He was National Chair of the Voluntary sector body Urban Forum (1999–2002); chief group executive of the Pakistan Muslim Centre (PMC), Sheffield and Chief Executive of Haringey Regeneration Agency, managing a £150 million development programme. He also served as Vice-Chair of UK UNESCO.

Following the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998 he was appointed as Great British Commissioner to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (1999-2002). From 1998–2002 he also served as a Commissioner for the Commission for Racial Equality.

He has also been a Fellow of the Institute of Management (FIMgt) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

In 2000 Malik was elected as the first non-white member to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. He was re-elected each year until 2005 when he stood down after being elected as an MP.

In June 2001 Malik was arrested and allegedly beaten by police during racially motivated riots in Burnley. He said he had been trying to stop the violence and told the BBC he had been arrested by "very hyped-up" police. "The riot shields were smashed in my face, causing four to five stitches above the eye, a black eye, lacerations to the arm, bruises on the back of the head, on the body and on the legs."^[1] On leaving Burnley General Hospital Malik said: "No recriminations. This incident should not stereotype all police officers".^[2]

No charges were brought by Lancashire Police and Malik was offered an apology.^[3] His peace-keeping role during the disturbances were later praised by the Chief Constable.

In April 2003 Malik won a public apology and "substantial" libel damages after being wrongly accused of throwing bricks during the riots in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on 17 January 2002. Malik's lawyer told the High Court in London: "At the time referred to in the article, he was in fact acting as a mediator and peacemaker in a volatile situation following disturbances in Burnley."^[4]

In 2002 Malik hoped to be selected in Burnley where Peter Pike had indicated he was standing down. However, the National Executive Committee controversially decided that this Constituency Labour Party should have an all-women shortlist^[5]. He also stood for selection in Brent East after Labour lost the 2003 by-election but was left off the shortlist.

In 2004 Malik was selected in Dewbsury and was elected as the Member of Parliament in May 2005.

At the 2005 House Magazine Awards, his Maiden Speech was awarded the best among the 2005 intake.^{[citation needed]}

On being elected Malik was appointed to the Home Affairs Select Committee. He also served on the Environmental Audit Select Committee until the cabinet reshuffle of May 2006 when he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Minister of State for Schools Jim Knight.

He also served as an international monitor for the Palestinian Presidential elections in 2005 and Parliamentary elections in January 2006.

In June 2007 Malik became Britain's first Muslim Minister after Gordon Brown appointed him as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for International Development.^{[citation needed]}

On 25 October 2007, while on Government business, Malik was stopped and searched by United States airport security staff at Dulles Airport in Washington DC. Malik said of the incident "I am deeply disappointed... I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at US airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress."^[6]

In October 2008, Malik was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and in March 2009 was subsequently appointed into a dual role as a Home Office Minister.

In June 2009 was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In the 2010 UK general election, following boundary changes, Malik will defend a notional majority of 3,999 and pollsters are classing it as a marginal seat, based on the Rallings and Thrasher figures.^[7]

On 15 May 2009, Malik stepped down as justice minister to allow the prime minister's independent adviser on ministerial interests, Sir Philip Mawer, to investigate his financial arrangements. The prime minister ordered the inquiry after the Daily Telegraph published details of Malik's expenses. The investigation covered allegations that Malik had benefited from a preferential rent that he had failed to declare in the ministerial register; it did not relate to his expenses claims.

On 9 June, Malik rejoined the government as a junior communities minister after being cleared of breaching the ministerial code.^[8] However, on 16 June, John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, launched a formal inquiry into Mr Malik’s expenses claims, as the first inquiry had looked at the rules for ministers rather than the separate Commons rules.^[9] Lyon cleared him with regard to his office expenses.

In October 2009 it was reported that Malik was also cleared with regard to claims relating to second home allowances, which were investigated by a panel headed by former civil servant Sir Thomas Legg.^[10] However, it emerged that Malik was being required to repay money in respect of claims for Council Tax and a television and chair. He appealed against the decision, but on 16th March 2010 his appeal was rejected. He had already repaid most of the amount in question. ^[11]

John Lyon opened another inquiry into Malik, this time in respect of insurance for Malik's wife's jewellery. Lyon suspended the inquiry for the duration of the General Election campaign. ^[12]

• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Shahid Malik MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Shahid Malik MP
• Transcript of maiden speech to the House of Commons
• Shahid Malik's website