Murad was pleased to learn that Westminster Council was forced to back down on its controversial plans to ban the distribution of food via soup kitchens at Christmas.

In the Wood and Vale newspaper, Murad had described the plan as one “Ebenezer Scrooge himself would have been proud of”. He welcomed the anouncement by saying:

“I’m not surprised Westminster have been forced to abandon their plans. I don’t who they thought would support taking food from the homeless so near to Christmas. I think Scrooge himself might have had difficulties justifying that!”