A Manchester solicitor, who came to the UK at the age of 12 unable to speak English, was appointed the first Asian Lord Mayor of the city last week. Labour councillor Mohammed Afzal Khan was born in Pakistan and moved with his parents to the small Lancashire town of Brierfield. He left school with no qualifications and started his working life as a labourer in a mill. At the age of 20 he resumed his education, studying for O and A levels, then a law degree. He worked as a bus driver and a youth worker, then became an officer with the Greater Manchester police force, before qualifying as a solicitor. Mr Khan - who is 47 and pictured with his wife Dr Shkeela Kayani - is a partner at Khan Solicitors, specialising in civil litigation and conveyancing.