JUST IN: Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan calls for the support of independent candidate Faiza Shaheen in General Election.

After being de-selected by Labour, seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan said that he was supporting independent candidate Faiza Shaheen to challenge Iain Ducan Smith.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, the world snooker champion, has said that he will support independent Faiza Shaheen in the general election.

It was “no brainer” for Mr. O’Sullivan, who supported former Labour under Ed Miliband in 2015 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, when Ms. Shaheen announced her candidacy.

It occurs only a few weeks after the left-winger was declared to be in a “state of shock” following his disqualification on July 4 as Labour’s nominee. However, she is currently fighting Labour as an independent, trying to unseat former Tory leader Iain Ducan Smith in Wood Green and Chingford.

The snooker great declared he would “definitely” vote for the candidate who is a “massive part of the community” in a video that he appeared in with Ms. Shaheen. He continued: “I just think someone without passion, you know, dictating what goes on around this area isn’t going to be good for the locals.” “I love this area, it’s my home and it’s a really special place for me,” stated 48-year-old Mr. O’Sullivan.

“I believe it is crucial that we have a local as our MP—someone who is familiar with the area, has roots here, and genuinely cares about us. And Faiza, in my opinion, is that person. I am aware that not everyone has a happy life. People are having difficulties, and they believe that many politicians are unaware of how difficult life is for them.”

“Faiza has tons of passion,” he continued. People here know her, appreciate her, and frequently catch her in the grocery store or café. She is one of us. As soon as I learned that she was standing, I contacted her to offer my encouragement. I find that to be obvious. In addition to supporting Faiza with my vote, I will work to rally support for her over the coming weeks.

In 2017, the seven-time world snooker champion announced on X that he had joined the Labour Party in order to back Mr. Corbyn “to be the next Prime Minister”. He supported former leader Ed Miliband before the 2015 General Election and even went so far as to play snooker with him while campaigning.

When Ms. Shaheen ran for Labour in the 2019 General Election, she lost by a mere 1,262 votes to Mr. Ducan Smith. A controversy broke out over Labour’s decision to deselect her, and she announced her resignation from the party earlier this month and her candidacy as an independent.

She intended to run as a Labour candidate in the Chingford and Woodford Green district, but the party disallowed her candidacy after she allegedly liked a social media post that played down accusations of anti-Semitism. At the time, the Labour Muslim Network called Ms. Shaheen’s treatment “unacceptable”.