Labour mayor sought visas for Bangladeshi family and friends

A Labour politician abused his mayoral office to try to secure immigration visas to bring 41 family members and friends from Bangladesh to Britain, a Telegraph investigation has found.

Cllr Mohammad Amirul Islam sent both “official” and “doctored” letters emblazoned with his council’s crest and logo to the British High Commission in Dhaka in an attempt to get visa applications treated “favourably”.

The letters, seen by The Telegraph, reveal how he wrote to embassy staff urging them to “ensure a smooth visa application process” for “good friends” and family to attend his inauguration as mayor of Enfield council, in north London.

Mr Islam, 47, is being investigated by the Home Office over alleged immigration offences. He has also been found to have brought the council into disrepute by “showing a lack of integrity” by using his position improperly to “assist family, friends and associates in obtaining visas” and “advance personal and private interests”.

The case illustrates how the immigration system can be abused by elected local council politicians.

A 160-page “confidential” independent investigation commissioned by the local authority concludes that Mr Islam sent some letters a year before he became mayor, with a few sent before he even knew he would assume the role.

The report was commissioned after the Home Office contacted the council in May 2024 to say embassy staff in Bangladesh had received a letter from its deputy mayor regarding visas.

The investigation report, marked “restricted” and “not for publication”, catalogues how some letters included passport numbers and dates of birth, which were added to try to ensure the “prompt” handling of the visa applications.

Some were sent by the mayoral office while later ones were “doctored” to look official and were believed to have been sent by the councillor.

Despite 41 Bangladeshis being invited to the eventual mayor-making ceremony in May 2024, it is believed only one person from that list turned up.

The conclusions of the confidential file mark an ignominious chapter for the Ponders End ward councillor who struggled to hold back tears when inaugurated as the borough’s first mayor born in Bangladesh.

Investigators found that on the “balance of probabilities”, he had wrongly used his office as deputy mayor to support the visa applications.

Mr Islam told investigators that in using his mayor’s office to support visa applications, he was doing what some previous mayors-to-be before him had done.

Thirteen letters were sent using the council’s official mayoral office team. Mr Islam agreed a further six were “prepared and sent” by him. The provenance of the remaining 11 were disputed, but investigators believe “on the balance of probabilities” they too were sent by Mr Islam.

The cybersecurity specialist was found to have “doctored” the latter letters after being told council staff felt “uncomfortable” drawing up letters supporting visa applications.

All the letters were either signed by him or a council employee acting on his behalf, and offered “full support and endorsement” for a “good friend” or relative from Bangladesh to visit the UK “for a special ceremony organised by my office in Enfield”. Many add: “Their presence at the event is of great importance to me.”

Those “letters of welcome” explained how there was “a commitment to cover all expenses” with visitors staying at his Enfield home.

They concluded: “I kindly request that you consider their visa applications favourably to facilitate their travel to the UK.”

While the report concludes it was “acceptable” for deputy mayors to use “council resources” to support visa applications for people from abroad to attend inaugurations, Mr Islam “went way beyond these limitations, seeking to use his position and status as a councillor, deputy mayor and eventually mayor, in an attempt to advantage various friends and family members”.

It continues: “Furthermore, the timing of some of the letters (some nearly a year before this ceremony, including letters prepared by [the] Mayoral Services Manager, and one after it had occurred) leads us to question whether this was the true purpose…

“The evidence suggests a pattern of behaviour where he used council resources and letterheads to support visa applications, even when not officially authorised. His denials regarding some letters are not sufficiently convincing when weighed against the other evidence.”

A standard visitor’s visa allows someone to visit the UK for up to six months to see family and friends, attend a business trip or study.

Although Mr Islam, who completed his year as mayor in May, has been told to issue an unreserved apology, he has yet to do so.

Cllr Georgiou Alessandro, the leader of the council’s Conservative group, said: “The Enfield Labour council knew about these allegations long before he became mayor and he was still allowed to take office. This all brings deep shame upon the council. He should resign.”

Mr Islam, a married father of two, told The Telegraph he remained adamant he did nothing wrong. He told the investigation he reported to Bangladeshi police an “agency” there which he believed was responsible for doctoring some letters and “forging” his signatures.

He said that as someone born in Bangladesh who arrived in the UK in 2003, his family was understandably “proud” he would become mayor and was eager to attend his inauguration.

The councillor said none of the visa applications he supported was successful so no one came to the UK.

A Home Office spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an active investigation, but all allegations of immigration crime are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken where necessary.”

The councillor, who now sits as an independent councillor, was suspended from the Labour Party in June 2025 pending the outcome of an investigation.

An Enfield council spokesman said the authority “fully supports” the conduct committee’s conclusion he “brought his office into disrepute”. It is currently “in correspondence with Mr Islam to ensure he obeys sanctions, which include him not using his position as a councillor to support any visa applications, undergoing code of conduct training and a “request not to wear his past mayor’s badge again”.

Asked why the council barred the press and public from a hearing about its independent investigation, which was also not published, the council spokesman said: “The council is confident that the process was fair and transparent while also protecting the confidentiality of various parties involved.

“The decision notice has already been published on the website with the minutes to follow once approved by the committee.

“We expect the highest level of standards and conduct from councillors. We are satisfied that the committee review has addressed the concerns raised about Mr Islam’s conduct following the thorough and comprehensive investigation undertaken.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]