"rodents are burrowing in below the pavement."
Labour MP Tahir Ali has faced backlash for campaigning for a new airport in Pakistan while his Birmingham constituents endure a growing bin crisis.
Ali, who represents Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley, has supported the construction of an airport in Mirpur, Kashmir.
His stance has drawn criticism as Birmingham struggles with mounting waste due to ongoing bin strikes.
Ali defended his position on social media, vowing to “continue to push for the cause”. However, critics argue he should focus on the city’s worsening waste problem.
Commentator Mike Parry slammed Ali’s priorities on GB News, calling his support for the airport “outrageous” and warning of serious health concerns.
Parry said: “It’s utterly outrageous.
“People’s walls in front of their homes are starting to crumble because of the weight of the debris that’s there, and the way that the rodents are burrowing in below the pavement. It’s an outrage.
“I don’t use the term third world as a derogatory term, but we’re certainly not first or second world when people are coming from distant parts of Asia to point out that the second city in this country, the United Kingdom, which once proudly introduced civilisation to the world, is now looking very much like what used to be called a third world country.”
Former Labour adviser Matthew Laza defended Ali, noting that “timing isn’t great” but highlighting wider support for the airport.
Laza explained: “My view is timing is not great – and in fact, there’s a whole host of about 20 Labour MPs backing this.
“The reason is because members of their community, their constituents who have Pakistani heritage, want this airport to open up so that it can make it easier to see their families.”
Parry dismissed the defence, arguing Ali’s focus should be on local issues rather than an airport overseas.
Parry told GB News: “For goodness’ sake!
“You’re trying to talk as if it’s normal for an MP in Birmingham to work on an airport 4,000 miles away, to make it more convenient for some of his constituents to go and see their families.
“If we weren’t giving the Chagos Islands £9 million a year, couldn’t we use that money to clear up what’s going on in Birmingham?”
GB News host Andrew Pierce also criticised Tahir Ali, stressing that the Birmingham bin crisis is causing “real health issues” and should be his top priority.
Pierce stated: “As a member of Parliament for Birmingham, he’s got a duty to speak out about this.
“The strike is causing real health issues – the rubbish is so bad, the rubbish is moving because there are rats and foxes in it.
“The Labour Council cut the pay of the refuse workers by some of them up to £8,000.
“They now have agency workers to man the bin lorries.
“The money they’ve cut from bin workers’ wages they’ve now expended on agencies – there is no logic to this.”
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