Shahid Butt, previously convicted for his role in a 1999 terrorist plot targeting the British consulate in Yemen, is running for a seat on the Birmingham City Council. Butt was one of eight Britons and two Algerians convicted for the attack, which also included plans to bomb an Anglican church and a Swiss-owned hotel in Yemen. Prosecutors described the plots as part of a broader campaign to expel Western influence and establish an Islamic state.

Butt maintains that his conviction was based on a fabricated case and claims he signed a confession under torture, a defense that was dismissed by the court at the time. He told the BBC, “As far as the law is concerned, the law doesn’t bar me in the UK from standing as a councillor. I’m not everybody’s cup of tea… That’s fine.”

The candidate’s campaign emphasizes a pro-Gaza platform in Sparkhill, a Birmingham ward where white residents make up only 8 percent of the population and Muslims comprise approximately 80 percent. Butt has also publicly criticized immigration policies, aligning with some positions of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and has voiced hardline views on newcomers to Britain.

Television personality Sharon Osbourne has publicly suggested she might run for a Birmingham council seat in the May 7 election. The leader of Birmingham Conservatives, Robert Alden, invited Osbourne to join the party to “help keep extremists out of Birmingham City Council.”

Even within Birmingham’s immigrant community, reactions are sharply negative. A Ugandan resident told The Telegraph, “It’s a disgrace to allow an extremist to [stand]. It’s just a mockery of the system.” Another commented, “We came to this country for a safe life… To get away from terrorists in Afghanistan.”

Butt’s candidacy has drawn widespread condemnation. Labour MP Sureena Brackenridge called it “stunning” that a convicted terrorist could seek public office, while MP Jess Phillips described it as “absolutely appalling,” warning that extremists should not represent local families.