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Veteran Indian-origin member of the UK Parliament (MP), Virendra Sharma, has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming general election on July 4. The 77-year-old Labour Party MP, who has represented the Ealing Southall constituency since his by-election victory in 2007, is stepping back from frontline politics to begin a new chapter as a grandfather.

“It has been the pleasure of a lifetime to represent Ealing Southall, but the time has come to step back from the Commons. I have every confidence we will see Keir Starmerand and the Labour Party in power very soon. I have written to local members letting them know my decision,” Virendra Sharma wrote on X.

Sharma, originally from Mandhali village in Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, moved to the UK in 1968.

He started his career as a bus conductor in the UK before studying at the London School of Economics (LSE) on a Trade Union Scholarship and becoming a prominent trade unionist, according to a PTI report.

“For over nearly 50 years, I have served the party in one form or another. Now I believe the time has come for another chapter to begin. I want to let you know that I will not be standing at the next election,” Sharma wrote in a letter to his party.

Sharma expressed confidence in the Labour Party’s future success, saying, “I will continue to support Labour, and I hope to continue to be part of the Labour project, but not from inside the House of Commons.”

Sharma, who also chairs the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and co-chairs the British Hindus APPG, has been a strong advocate for closer India-UK relations.

“As a British Indian and as a Hindu, as a Labour Member, Councillor and MP, I have never struggled to reconcile those different, but complementary, identities,” said Sharma in his letter.

Reflecting on his career, Sharma praised the support of his wife Nirmala and pledged to remain active in supporting Labour’s campaign efforts. He will be devoting more time as a grandfather, according to PTI.

“It is clear to me that the country is crying out for change, and that Keir, Angela and the whole Labour Party represent the change this country needs. I was proud to nominate Keir for leader in 2020, and the promises he made then to rebuild this party have put us on the path to power and made me proud to serve in government as a Labour MP,” stated Sharma’s letter.

“We swept antisemitism from the Labour Party, and we have gone from our worst result in a century, to the edge of Government,” the letter added.

Sharma’s decision to step down follows the legacy of another long-serving Indian-origin Labour MP, Piara Singh Khabra, whose death led to Sharma’s election in 2007. The Ealing Southall constituency has remained a Labour stronghold ever since, according to news agency PTI.