Two men have set fire to a car outside the family home of a prominent British politician in a targeted attack.

 CCTV shows the moment two hooded men pour petrol over the top of a black Lexus saloon outside a house in Birmingham on Wednesday night.  Moments later, the car explodes in a flash of bright light.

The house is owned by the family of political activist Salma Yaqoob, a pro-Palestine activist and patron of the Stop The War Coalition.

 Video footage shows it burning in the driveway of their home in Portman Road, crackling and occasionally popping as pieces of the car melt away.

 Ms Yaqoob's quick-thinking brothers Farrukh and Rashad were alerted to the flames and sought to prevent the fire from spreading to their other car and the house itself.

 They grabbed a garden hosepipe and buckets to douse the flames before they reached the fuel tank or the car's hybrid electric battery, which could have violently ignited.

 Firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after and were able to contain the blaze.

It is feared those responsible deliberately targeted Ms Yaqoob's family, who are well known in political circles.

 Ms Yaqoob said of the fire: 'It has been an extremely distressing experience. We are grateful that no-one has been hurt.

'The fire service responded quickly to prevent the flames spreading to the house where family members had been sleeping.

 ‘There is a police investigation and we hope the perpetrators will be identified quickly.’

 She is the former leader of the Respect Party.