Lord Ahmed faces driving charge

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain's first Muslim peer, has been charged with dangerous driving following a crash in which a man was killed last Christmas Day. Ahmed, 51, a property developer, was at the wheel of his X Type Jaguar when it was involved in a collision with a car that had broken down in the fast lane of the M1. The driver, Martyn Gombar, died instantly while Lord Ahmed, who was in the car with his wife and mother, suffered severe facial injuries and shock.

The charge of dangerous driving follows an investigation by traffic police, who allege that the peer had sent a text message to a friend shortly before the accident.

Ahmed, who became a Labour peer in 1998, is no stranger to controversy. In 2007, after Salman Rushdie was given a knighthood, he said he was appalled that "a man who has not only been abusive to Muslims, but also to Christians" had received such an honour.

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