Darius Nasimi came to the UK in a refrigerated container when he was four months old with his family in 1999.

The 22-year-old has now been selected as the Conservative Candidate for Hanworth Village in Hounslow for the 2022 UK Local Elections.

This makes him the first Conservative candidate from an Afghan background in British history.

His aim for the future is to become the first British Afghan MP.

"My family came to the UK in the back of a fridge", Darius told Brentford Nub News. "It was a very dangerous journey and it took us nine hours to get from Belgium to the UK.

"We were very lucky to survive.

"We stayed for one night in Dover, then we were sent to Brixton to a refugee centre, then we started our life in Lewisham.

"But this was the wrong location, it took us 17 years to move to the best location in west London."

Hounslow has one of the largest populations of Afghan-born people living in the UK, along with Brent, Hillingdon and Ealing.

Darius's father Dr. Nooralhaq Nasimi founded the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) in Feltham in 2001, where Darius is currently responsible for fundraising.

They set up a community centre and now offer a host of cultural and community services for refugees and migrants in the UK.

This summer the charity became inundated with enquiries and visits from people trying to extricate friends and family from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country.

Many refugees arrived at ACAA seeking basic provisions and citizens' advice services, especially due to its proximity to Heathrow airport.

"We became like Kabul airport everyday," Darius added. "And became the centre of British media."

When they started the family were running the charity whilst still living in Lewisham, often sleeping in the office to avoid the 3-hour round-trip home.

They relied on funding from trustees and donations and Darius said growing up in this kind of environment, it was normal to want to get involved in politics.

One of his three sisters also founded the Conservative friends of Afghanistan, another big influence.

At 19, he decided he wanted to be Mayor of London which he sent in an email to many MPs.

"I managed to meet with MPs at Parliament," Darius said. "I met with many Conservative MPs who provided a lot of guidance and advise."

He added: "With the Labour MPs I wouldn't have had this business mind to get involved in business and politics."

Darius graduated in Philosophy from King's College London and since graduating he has founded two businesses called, International Import and Export Ltd and Nasimi Real Estate and Mining Ltd, to increase British investment in Central Asia.

Darius is also a member of the Counter Terrorism Advisory Group and was previously a Trustee of the Heathrow Communities Trust.

He believes his experience in fundraising, organising events, conferences, employment and CV workshops for refugees and his business-mind will help him improve the area.