650 Podcast

Iqbal Mohamed, Independent MP for Dewsbury & Batley

Sophie Hammond — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Have you ever wondered how someone wins an election without the backing of a political party? What would happen if we elected individuals rather than parties? And who were the five independent MPs elected at the last general election?

Iqbal Mohamed grew up in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in a small council house opposite a cemetery, the eldest of six children. As a boy, he remembers sitting in his parents’ bedroom and praying to God that he might one day become either a Blue Peter presenter or Prime Minister. Decades later, when he was elected as an MP, he felt that prayer was finally being answered.

Iqbal’s constituency had traditionally voted Labour, but anger grew locally over the party’s response to the war in Gaza. Members of the community decided to find a candidate of their own and they chose Iqbal.

In this episode, Iqbal talks about growing up as an ethnic minority in a Yorkshire town, life at Durham University, meeting his wife in India, how an independent candidate can actually win an election, the future of party politics, and the importance of his Muslim faith.

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Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil

Sophie Hammond — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Do you think most MPs followed a conventional path into politics? What if school was a struggle because of ADHD and dyslexia? What if your career began as a landscape gardener, not in Westminster? Adam Dance’s route to Parliament was anything but typical.

Adam Dance talks openly about growing up with ADHD and dyslexia, being badly bullied at school, struggling with his mental health, and the youth club that first pulled him into politics at 16.

He went on to become a landscape gardener, run his own business, win a string of supposedly unwinnable local elections, and eventually give up his job, move back in with his parents and live in his overdraft while campaigning full-time for Parliament.

In 2024, he won Yeovil.

This is Adam’s story: from struggling at school to becoming an MP, and why he believes politics should be less about procedure and party games, and more about actually getting things done.

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Jeevun Sandher, Labour MP for Loughborough

Sophie Hammond — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Jeevun Sandher has been Labour MP for Loughborough since 2024. He is a standout member of the 2024 intake.

He wanted to tackle poverty and make the world a better place. His route into that mission was economics. After studying the subject, he went on to work at the Treasury and in Somaliland. He then gave up his successful career as an economist to pursue a lifelong ambition: becoming an MP.

He is also, as far as we know, the only MP elected this Parliament to have married another sitting MP, and yes, politics comes up at home.

In this episode, Jeevun speaks candidly about the extraordinary demands of political life, the sacrifices involved in being an MP, and the darker side of public office. He recounts how a social media post about putting up flags was seized on by the far right, leading to police involvement and leaving him genuinely worried for his family’s safety.

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