Sonia Kumar is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley since 2024.

Sonia Kumar
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Dudley
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byMarco Longhi
Majority1,900 (5.3%)
Personal details
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour

Kumar was an NHS physiotherapist before becoming an MP.[1]

Parliamentary career

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In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Kumar's opponent Marco Longhi, the Conservative MP for Dudley, was accused of "dog-whistle" tactics against Kumar. His campaign sent leaflets to British Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslims drawing attention to Kumar's Hindu surname (writing it in capital letters and underlined), arguing that she would not support Kashmir while in Parliament.[2] She was later elected MP for Dudley with 12,215 votes (34%).[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Labour selects general election candidate for Dudley". BBC News. 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  2. ^ Adu, Aletha (18 June 2024). "Tory candidate accused of dog-whistle tactics against rival with Indian name". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Dudley | General Election 2024 | Sky News". election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  4. ^ "UK Election: Record Number Of Indian-Origin MPs". NDTV.
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