By IANS
London : British Asian MP Keith Vaz put aside niggling political differences to dance the night away with Home Secretary Jacqui Smith at the end of the Labour Party spring conference in Birmingham.
“She’s quite a mover. I cannot imagine doing this with (former home secretaries) John Read or David Blunkett,” Vaz jokingly said Sunday after his Diversity Nite ethnic minority party that traditionally brings the curtains down on the annual event.
“She charmed the entire audience with her dancing ability. Next time we will try to persuade her to wear a sari,” added Vaz, who is the chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Home Affairs and Britain’s longest-serving Asian MP.
Held at Birmingham’s Shimla Pinks restaurant, Smith was the top billing at the event that drew 400 people, including other cabinet ministers and parliamentarians.
Vaz has hosted Diversity Nite for the last 10 years but even Britain’s most experienced Asian MP did not expect it to be quite so exciting this year, his office said Monday.
Vaz asked Smith to join him for a dance after her speech, and the pair led an ecstatic audience onto the floor to the No.1 hit “Grace Kelly” by pop sensation Mika.
They were joined by Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint and other guests who tried the bhangra with the new age pop song.