The British Kebab Awards are an annual event to celebrate local kebab restaurants across the UK. The awards were founded by Ibrahim Dogus, an entrepreneur, restaurateur and founder of the Centre for Turkey Studies, in 2013. Since their creation, the awards have attracted politicians from different political parties to network and present awards, including Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn and Sadiq KhanMP in 2016. The awards are sponsored by internet fast food delivery provider Just Eat, and have attracted significant attention in both traditional and social media, being dubbed the KeBAFTAs by fans on Twitter. Founder Ibrahim Dogus is a former waiter, owner of Troia restaurant in Waterloo, London, and the son of Kurdish refugees from Turkey who arrived in the UK in 1994. Dogus became a community activist in the early 2000s, and was shot while trying to combat drug crime in Hackney, where he lived. The British Kebab Awards are organised by Dogus' thinktank, CEFTUS, whose aim is to 'build bridges between Turkey and the UK, and between Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot communities.' The 2017 awards were held at London's Westminster Park Plaza Hotel in February 2017. In 2016, Dogus announced a business venture to create the first beer made for drinking with kebabs, Bira London. Dogus stated in the programme to the 2017 British Kebab Awards that he believes that the uncertainty caused by Brexit will create economic problems for small businesses. In comments at the 2017 awards, Dogus paid tribute to "the places around the world which many of us feel an affinity with have been struck by violence". The 2019 awards were held on March 18 in London. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn attended the 2019 awards, giving a speech in which he said that he liked kebab shops, despite being a vegetarian. "I love having a falafal wrap in a kebab shop", he revealed. Other political guests included Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, Angela Rayner, Bob Seely and Mark Francois. The Mirror noted that the awards ceremony has "become a popular event on the Westminster calendar".
