Labour's candidate in the Harpurhey by-election has apologised and deleted images after rivals accused him of 'feeling he was above the law'. Abdul Sarfraz is standing for the vacant seat at Manchester City Council in a by-election taking place on November 26.
Images from behind the wheel
Images shared on Sarfraz's X account in 2024 and 2025, seen by the Manchester Evening News, showed pictures taken from the driver's seat of a car. One image from July 2025 appears to be taken from inside a Range Rover moving slowly on the M62. A second picture from June 2024 showed the Labour candidate using his phone while behind the wheel in heavy traffic. The images were deleted after the MEN approached Labour for comment.
Mr Sarfraz said he was 'genuinely sorry' for the 'inappropriate' behaviour. His rivals accused him of showing 'complete disregard' for road safety.
Reaction from political rivals
The Reform UK group on Manchester council said: "Abdul Sarfraz, the Manchester Labour candidate for the Harpurhey by-election, clearly feels he is above the law, a charge voters increasingly level at politicians these days.
"He laughs at his own illegal behaviour in fact, on his social media, despite the many terrible examples of people injured and killed by drivers using mobiles phones whilst behind the wheel of their cars.
"It's a terrible example to be flaunting to your followers and potentially your residents as a prospective councillor, and it shows a complete disregard for road safety and other road users."
Candidate's apology
Abdul Sarfraz said: "I want to sincerely apologise for my actions. Taking a photograph while behind the wheel was poor judgement, and I recognise that it was inappropriate.
"These pictures are more than a year old and were while the car was stationary on the motorway and traffic was at a complete standstill, I fully appreciate that this does not excuse my actions or the impression they may have created.
"Road safety is an issue that affects everyone, and we all have a responsibility to do better, myself included."
Data shared at Greater Manchester's Bee Network committee in October showed there were 1,032 people killed or seriously injured on the region's roads in the last 12 months. The Harpurhey by-election was called after the death of former long-serving Labour councillor Pat Karney. Abdul Sarfraz revealed himself as Labour's candidate for the seat on Friday (October 30), where he posted online saying it was 'a privilege to not only follow in the footsteps of a man like Pat, but also have the chance to serve the community.'
