And the name of my bride-to-be is ...

Jan 29 2008 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ROMANCE definitely wasn’t in the air when Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik sent out his wedding invitations.

The International Development Minister is set to marry 24-year-old trainee lawyer Sundus Sheikh on Sunday, February 10.

But his first wedding invite to Westminster colleagues failed to even mention his bride-to-be.

The invite, headed ‘Dear Colleague’, read: “I hope you will do me the honour of being a guest at my wedding reception, which will be held in London on the 10th February between 1.30pm and 6pm.

“Just to be clear, you won’t be expected to stay for the full stint (although I probably will!) but even if you’re just able to drop in for a short while to test the cuisine and say hello you would be very welcome indeed.”

He gave recipients the option to respond by post, email or “text... if you’re that way inclined” and even included a reply coupon with two ready-made responses.

Mr Malik further enhanced his non-romantic side by saying he thought his bride-to-be “looked interesting” when he first saw her.

Mr Malik, who was once voted one of the sexiest MPs, met Miss Sheikh last year while she was working as a parliamentary aide.

The Dewsbury and Mirfield MP said he was thrilled to be marrying the woman of his dreams and that he was a very lucky man because he had now found the one thing that had been missing in his life.

He joked: “I am pleased to have found someone foolish enough to take on a politician and I hopeŠshe doesn’t live to regret it.Š