Zaman Baksh

Muhammed Zaman Baksh, CBE, MP (born 16 July 1977) is an English Liberal Democrat politician who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015, having represented Wansbeck since 2030 and Hexham prior to that. He was also a Member of European Parliament (MEP) for North East England from 2008 to 2014. Baksh served in the Cabinet from 2025 to 2030 as Secretary of State for Transport, and later as the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2045 to 2046. On 19 October 2046, he resigned from his frontbench role to play a more active role at Liberal International.

Baksh is the only Deist in the English parliament, describing himself as a 'happy convert from the Islamic beliefs of [his] ancestors to the spiritual deism of [his] self'.

Early life
Baksh was born in Portsmouth, on 16 July 1977, to parents who had immigrated from Bangladesh. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Christ Church, Oxford and graduated in 1999. He was active in student politics while at Oxford, holding various offices in the Oxford University Liberal Democrats and being elected to the Standing Committee of the Oxford Union. After graduating from Oxford, he worked for a while at the bank HSBC, and then at the National Economic Development Office from 2002 to 2003. He then spent two years as Kobler Research Fellow at the University of Surrey, where he completed an M.Phil. From 2005 to 2010, Baksh was an economic adviser to the Post Office Corporation.

Baksh served as a councillor for the London Borough of Lambeth from 2004 to 2007, alongside his wife and Kelly Henderson. He represented Clapham Town Ward, and served on the Housing Committee. He lost his council seat in 2007. Baksh was elected to the European Parliament for North East England in 2008 until he lost his seat to Labour candidate Brian Whitington.

Personal and family life
Baksh married Mayisha Manik, a Disabled Student Advisor at Stafforshire University, in 2000. He is said to be 'immensely proud' of his four children, two of whom identify as homosexual, including Pheobe Baksh.

Baksh's family wealth is estimated to be around £1m.