History made as capital picks first Muslim Lord Mayor

Westminster City Council is to vote in its first Muslim Lord Mayor and its youngest ever incumbent.

Cllr Hamza Taouzzale, who was born and bred in Westminster, can also lay claim to being the only incumbent from a black, Asian or multiple ethnic background to hold the post as the City’s first citizen.

The 22-year-old member for Queen’s Park ward was selected following the Labour Party’s victory in this month’s local elections.

Cllr Taouzzale, who recently completed his Masters in Global Affairs at King’s College London, has pledged to shake-up the non-political role while maintaining its traditions.

He said: “This is a real honour and a privilege and a total surprise.

“This is a job that’s above politics, so you have to keep the office out of the day-to-day council business otherwise it will lose its importance.

“But I do want to get out far more in the community, to be more visible in areas where the Lord Mayor isn’t normally seen.

“A lot of people don’t know what the Lord Mayor is or does and I really want to change that during my year in office.”

He formally replaces former councillor Andrew Smith at a mayor-making ceremony to be held at Old Marylebone Town Hall on Wednesday (7pm).