A Labour MP who last week signed a letter calling for an airport to be built in Mirpur, Pakistan has been accused by Reform UK of lobbying on behalf of the Pakistan state owned airline: Pakistan International Airlines.
A Reform UK spokesperson said Yasmin Qureshi, who represents the constituency of Bolton South and Walkden, “should focus on her constituents in Bolton” after she wrote a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan asking him to intervene to reverse a decision to shut the airline’s London office despite the fact that the airline is currently banned from flying in Britain due to its poor safety record.
The airline was banned from British airspace in 2020 after a crash that claimed 97 lives and an incident in which the airline was forced to ground 150 of its 434 pilots over concerns they may not have held valid licences.
In a letter she wrote in December, she asked Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander if the Civil Aviation Authority would commence an “urgent review” into the ban.
The Civil Aviation Authority conducted a review, and found last week, that the ban should remain in place. In response, PIA announced the closure of its central London office.
Qureshi then pleaded to Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister. “I urge you to reconsider this decision and take the necessary steps to keep the London office operational. This will not only support PIA’s growth but also ensure that it remains competitive in the international aviation market.”
Conservative heavy hitter Robert Jenrick weighed in on Qureshi’s letter writing efforts: “I am fed up with Labour MPs spending their time lobbying for foreign interests, rather than focussing on their constituents.
“It is a damning failure of integration that MPs are spending their time doing the bidding of other countries. Their loyalty should solely be to the UK.”
Yasmin Qureshi said: “After receiving a number of enquiries from constituents across Bolton South & Walkden about improving links between the UK and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, I co-signed a letter to the Pakistani government asking them to fulfil their commitment to a new airport in the region, spearheaded by the UK Trade Envoy to Pakistan.
“The advocacy I have done in regards to Pakistan International Airlines is similarly based on issues my constituents have faced, especially when travelling to Pakistan to see loved ones after a bereavement.
“Reform are entitled to their opinion, but they’d do well to focus on their own leader – who seems more interested in lobbying for corporate interests in the United States than representing the people of Clacton in Parliament.
‘I’ll never apologise for representing my constituents on any issue.”
