Sharon Osbourne is being urged by the Conservatives to run as a candidate in Birmingham after she expressed outrage that a former jihadi was standing for local elections in England’s second city.
In a now-deleted social media post, as reported by the Daily Mail, Osbourne – who is Jewish – commented on a video featuring Shahid Butt and suggested she’d stand against him.
Butt was convicted of terror offences in Yemen in 1999 in connection with an alleged plot to blow up the British consulate. He has consistently maintained his innocence and claimed the conviction was based on a confession extracted under torture.
“This has nothing to do with racism. I think I'm gonna move to Birmingham and put my name down for the ballot to be on the council,” former X-Factor judge Osbourne said, before adding: “I'm serious”.
Senior Conservatives were delighted at the news and urged the widow of Birmingham-born rock legend Ozzy Osbourne to stand for their party.
Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell told the JC he thought Osbourne’s potential candidacy was “great news”.
“I hope she stands as a Tory! To help restore Birmingham civic pride and competence after Labour bankrupted our city”, the former cabinet minister added.
In an open letter to Osbourne, the leader of the Conservative group on Birmingham council, Robert Alden, invited her to have further discussions to explore the possibility of her standing as a candidate and that the local Tories would be “honoured” if she did.
“Your forthright response to the concerning news about a candidate with a past conviction for serious terror-related offences has struck a chord with many Brummies who want to see our city represented with integrity, common sense, and a firm stand against extremism exploiting local politics”, Alden said.
“Your voice, with its no-nonsense style and global profile, could be a powerful force for positive change here. Moreover, your family's deep roots in our city, through your late husband, the Aston-born legend Ozzy Osbourne, and Black Sabbath, make you part of Birmingham's story in a way few others can claim.
"It was our own Clir Matt Bennett who first called for Black Sabbath to receive the Freedom of the City over a decade ago. We were proud to be a part of that push to honour the band's immense contribution to our musical heritage and put ‘the birthplace of heavy metal’ firmly on the map.”
In response to @MrsSOsbourne announcement that she's interested in standing for @BhamCityCouncil , today @BCCTories are publishing an open letter inviting Sharon to stand for the Local Conservatives to help clean up Birmingham! pic.twitter.com/wEihn9TfoX
— Birmingham Conservative Group (@BCCTories) February 2, 2026
The JC understands that the Conservatives have yet to receive a response from Osbourne.
Sharon Osbourne has been contacted for comment.
Butt is standing in Sparkhill ward, where 84 per cent of the population is Muslim.
He is affiliated with the Independent Candidate Alliance, led by Akhmed Yakoob – a lawyer known for viral videos on social media who came third in elections for the Mayor of the West Midlands in 2024 and who came close to unseating the now-Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, at the general election, standing on a pro-Gaza platform – and Shakeel Afsar, who describes himself as a “community leader and entrepreneur”, who stood as an independent candidate in Birmingham Hall Green in 2024, and in 2019 led protests against teaching about LGBT issues in primary schools.
60+ CANDIDATES‼️ pic.twitter.com/uq2UzxKiNi
— Akhmed Yakoob (@Akhmedyakoob1) January 30, 2026
In an interview on TalkTV, Afsar boasted that he and Yakoob, who recently announced an agreement with George Galloway’s Workers’ Party of Great Britain, may be contesting over 66 seats in next May’s council elections in Birmingham out of a possible 101.
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