Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Javed Tarek wants to 'make Bedford a successful place'

Tarek has eight campaign pledges, with one being (if elected) he will “spend half his parliamentary salary to help local services.�

Javed Tarek wants to 'make Bedford a successful place'

THE Independent candidate to be Bedford’s next MP said there has been a lack of progress made in Bedford, and he will work “day and night” to make it a “successful place”.

Javed Tarek said: “I’ve been here most of my life, although I’ve served in the RAF travelling to various different locations, but Bedford has been my home from day one.


“I’ve seen a lot of changes, but changes on the negative side rather than positive side.

“Bedford doesn’t seem to be going forward, it seems to be going backward.

“I want to make a difference for the working class people of Bedford.”

Tarek said his experience of serving in the RAF for 35 years means he has the skills to be a “great MP”.

“The military teaches you loyalty, integrity, punctuality, and camaraderie,” he said.

“Those are all the skills that I think will help me to achieve my goals in a timely manner. I’m a great believer in putting hard work in to get the results and I will do my utmost best to put all the effort in to make Bedford a successful place,” he said.

Tarek pins the blame on Bedford’s problems on both the borough council and the Labour MP.

“Between them they could have done a hell of a lot more than what they’ve done so far,” he said. “They’re not passionate enough to go further.”

Tarek has eight campaign pledges, with one being (if elected) he will “spend half his parliamentary salary to help local services.”

“I will do this as a duty to serve,” he said.

“Over the course of my life I’ve heard lots of people say MPs take a big salary and they don’t actually deliver. I’m doing this for the passion, the money is not the driving factor for me. I would need to deliver 100 per cent to bring about a better Bedford, that’s what’s driving me."

As an example of his actions to serve others, Tarek spoke of his time raising money and then spending five days helping victims of last year’s earthquake in Turkey.

“Me and my colleagues went to Turkey, at our own expense. We went tent to tent, village to village and we distributed £135,000 directly to the affected people in Turkey. We distributed the aid from morning to evening to all these people. This shows the level of dedication I’m willing to put to people overseas," he said.

“So imagine what I’m willing to do for the people of Bedford where I’ve been brought up. I will work day and night, if I have to, to bring about positive changes to Bedford. I want to produce the right goods, the quality goods, for the people of Bedford. I’ve come from a working class background, and I want to be there for the working class people of Bedford.

He added, “I want to be there for everybody, but championing people that are hard working. I think they have been let down so far, it’s about time that somebody stood up and championed those all people."

The other candidates standing to be Bedford’s next MP are: Prince Sadiq Chaudhury (Workers Party), Pinder Chauhan (Conservative), Ben Foley (Green), Matt Lansley (Reform UK), Henry Vann (Lib Dem) and Mohammad Yasin (Labour).

(Local Democracy Reporting Service)

More For You

Sri Lanka's former presidents condemn Wickremesinghe’s imprisonment

Ranil Wickremesinghe with his wife Maithree

Sri Lanka's former presidents condemn Wickremesinghe’s imprisonment

THREE former presidents of Sri Lanka expressed solidarity with jailed ex-leader Ranil Wickremesinghe last Sunday (24) and condemned his incarceration as a “calculated assault” on democracy.

The former political rivals of Wickremesinghe, who was president between July 2022 and September 2024, said the charges against him were frivolous and politically motivated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

Louise Jones and Jeevun Sandher (Photo: Facebook)

Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

TWO of Labour’s newest MPs, Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones, have announced their marriage after a week-long celebration that combined Sikh and Christian traditions.

Sandher, elected last year as MP for Loughborough, and Jones, MP for North East Derbyshire, tied the knot earlier this month in ceremonies that reflected their different cultural backgrounds. The couple shared photographs on social media, calling the occasion a celebration of “two heritages” as they began their life together.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK sees sharp increase in sex crime convictions of Indian nationals

Figures show a 257 per cent rise in convictions of Indian nationals for sexual offences between 2021 and 2024 (Photo:iStock)

UK sees sharp increase in sex crime convictions of Indian nationals

INDIAN nationals have recorded the sharpest increase in convictions for sexual offences among foreign nationals in the UK, according to an analysis of official government data.

Figures from the UK Ministry of Justice, based on the Police National Computer and assessed by the Centre for Migration Control (CMC), show a 257 per cent rise in convictions of Indian nationals for sexual offences between 2021 and 2024. The number of cases rose from 28 in 2021 to 100 last year — an increase of 72 cases.

Keep ReadingShow less
pashupatinath temple nepal

A general view of the Pashupatinath temple complex in Kathmandu on August 27, 2025.

Getty Images

Nepal court allows unclothed Hindu ascetics to enter Pashupatinath temple

NEPAL’s Supreme Court has ruled that Hindu holy men who follow the tradition of remaining unclothed cannot be barred from entering the Pashupatinath temple. The court said that nudity, when practised as a religious custom, is not the same as obscenity.

The ruling concerns the Naga sadhus, ascetics devoted to Lord Shiva who renounce family ties and worldly possessions, including clothing. Covered in ash and wearing dreadlocks, they are a familiar sight at the temple during major festivals.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi begins Asia tour to boost ‘Make in India’ and counter US pressure

Narendra Modi addresses the audience during the launch of Maruti Suzuki's new assembly line for the Suzuki e-Vitara, Maruti's first electric car, at the Hansalpur plant, some 80 km from Ahmedabad, in India's Gujarat state on August 26, 2025. (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Modi begins Asia tour to boost ‘Make in India’ and counter US pressure

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi heads overseas on Thursday (28) to meet the leaders of China, Japan and Russia, seeking to build closer diplomatic ties as New Delhi battles fallout from US president Donald Trump's escalating tariff offensive.

By drawing nearer to some of the world’s largest economies, including his first visit to China in seven years, Modi hopes to to boost support for his flagship "Make in India" initiative, mainly from Japan, as Trump's measures spur new partnerships.

Keep ReadingShow less