Bradford West MP Naz Shah will return to the heart of her constituency to launch her highly anticipated memoir, ‘Honoured’.
The event, hosted by the Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) at the historic Midland Hotel, is timed to coincide with International Women’s Day. It serves as a one-off preview for the main festival, which is scheduled to run from July 3 to 12.
The launch is expected to be a significant moment for both the city and the national literary scene. Described as an unflinching account of her life, the book chronicles Shah’s journey from a childhood defined by trauma to her current role as a prominent figure in British politics. The session will feature a conversation with Shah about the themes of resilience, faith, and justice that permeate her story. Following the talk, guests are invited to participate in iftar, the communal breaking of the fast-during Ramadan, reflecting the MP's deep roots in the local community.
Ancestry and early life
Naseem Naz Shah was born in Bradford on November 13, 1973 to parents of Kashmiri Pakistani descent. Her early years were marked by severe domestic instability. When she was just six years old, her father abandoned the family to marry a teenage neighbour, leaving her mother, Zoora Shah, to raise three children alone in extreme poverty. The family moved 14 times in just two years to escape damp, rat-infested housing.
Aged 12, Naz was sent to Pakistan to escape a violent abuser who had targeted her mother and was showing a predatory interest in her. In Pakistan, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a cousin at 15. She eventually returned to the UK, but her family’s struggles intensified when her mother was jailed for life for the murder of her abuser, Mohammed Azam, whom she had poisoned after years of physical and sexual torture.
The campaigner becomes a leader
Before her political career, Shah spent 12 years campaigning for her mother's release, eventually securing a reduction in her sentence. She worked in various roles, including as a carer, an NHS Commissioner, and chair of the mental health charity Sharing Voices Bradford.
In 2015, she made national headlines by defeating George Galloway to reclaim Bradford West for the Labour Party. Since then, she has held several Shadow Cabinet roles, including Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction, Community Cohesion, and Women and Equalities. In November 2023, she resigned from the frontbench to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza, demonstrating the same independent conviction that has defined her life. Today, as a mother of three, she remains a formidable voice for vulnerable communities and a symbol of survival against the odds.