Oxford, Bethnal Green and the Guardian: the British sojourn of a younger Abdul El-Sayed

The Guardian · Esther Addley · 2026-11-06 14:00 UTC

In a Guardian article in 2010, the Oxford Rhodes scholar said UK democracy had the ‘upper hand’ over the US

In the tense final hours before his dramatic election as senator for Michigan in this week’s midterms, Abdul El-Sayed had a heated encounter with a British TV journalist that rapidly went viral.

As James Matthews, of Sky News, tried to ask him a question, El-Sayed bit back. “Why would I care to have a conversation with you?” he demanded of Matthews, placing both hands on the reporter’s shoulders in a gesture of emphasis.

“You know how many votes I want to get in the UK? Zero. I am never running for office in the UK. So I actually do not care what you think or the questions you ask.”

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