MUSLIMS AND THE UK GENERAL ELECTION 2024
The UK general election in 2024 saw a landslide victory for the Labour Party, which won 412 seats and Keir Starmer became the Prime Minister. This election also saw the impact of Muslim voters in an unexpected way, with an increase in the number of Muslim MPs, independent candidates and Muslim women in the House of Commons and issues such as the Gaza war gaining limelight and rising influence of organizations like The Muslim Voice.
Last time, there were 18 Muslim MPs and this time there are 25. This is the highest number recorded ever in the British parliament. The current situation is an improvement from the previous general election of 2019, which saw 19 elected Muslim MPs, making up 3% of the MPs. These numbers do not include a couple of MPs who had a Muslim heritage but do not follow the Muslim faith (according to online information). From the 19 who were elected in 2019, one was expelled from the Conservative Party in 2022 and three lost their seats in 2024 (Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, Conservative MP Rehman Chishti and SNP MP Anum Qaisar). (https://www.mwnhub.com/read-detail.php?id=242). Among those elected, four are independent candidates, 18 are from Labour Party, 2 are from the Conservative Party and one is from the Liberal Democrats. (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/record-number-of-muslims-elected-to-uk-parliament-despite-rising-islamophobia/3270749#:~:text=A%20record%2Dbreaking%2025%20Muslims,is%20from%20the%20Liberal%20Democrats. ) Ten new Muslim MPs were elected – 6 for the Labour Party and four independents. It is interesting to note that the Liberal Democrats have no Muslim MPs despite seeing their numbers increase substantially from 8 to 72 MPs. They clearly have a lot of work to do ensure the party improves their diversity (https://www.mwnhub.com/read-detail.php?id=242#:~:text=From%20the%2019%20who%20were,Labour%20Party%20and%20four%20independents.).
Yet, Muslims remain underrepresented as they form 6.5 % of the British population according to Census 2021 and form only 3.8% of the House of Commons. Nonetheless, their representation of in Britain is better than that in other European countries like France and Germany.
In 2019, more than 80% of Muslims are believed to have voted for the Labour Party but estimates from 2024 election suggest that voting percentage has dropped nationally by up to 20 percentage points, and in some constituencies the Muslim vote for Labour further deteriorated. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g37mk7vxlo). In constituencies with the highest number of voters identifying as Muslim, Labour’s share of the vote fell sharpest. In the 21 seats where more than 30% of the population is Muslim, Labour’s share dropped by 29 percentage points from an average 65% in 2019 to 36% in 2024 (https://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2024/section-2-voters-polls-and-results/changing-pattern-amongst-muslim-voters-the-labour-party-gaza-and-voter-volatility/). According to the Savanta Poll, a key issue for Muslim voters this time was the Gaza conflict, suggesting that 44% of Muslims placed it as one of the five most important issues. The survey indicates that 86% of those surveyed say that they would vote for a pro-Palestinian, independent candidate. (https://hyphenonline.com/2024/06/17/general-election-savanta-british-muslims-voting-intention-cultural-issues-poll-data-uk-election/ ) This was reflected in independent candidates winning over seats of veteran Labour leaders like Khalid Mahmood amongst others. But after the result was declared the British Muslim Council congratulated the Labour Party and new Prime Minister, Starmer at his historic win and hoping for a better future. https://mcb.org.uk/general-election-2024-muslim-council-of-britain-calls-on-incoming-government-to-unite-country/
This election also saw the growing impact of independent groups like The Muslim Vote (https://themuslimvote.co.uk/about-us/). It is a pressure group which was formed in December 2023 to support independent candidates opposing mainstream parties like the Conservative and Labour Parties because of their stances on the Israel-Hamas war among other policy positions. Abubakr Nanabawa is the national coordinator of the group and was previously a Labour activist when he was a student at the University of Birmingham. Jalaluddin Patel, the former leader of Hizb ul Tahrir, Britain also helped The Muslim Vote during the election campaign. The Muslim Vote has been willing to make the British Muslim voice count by providing an alternative to voters in Muslim majority constituencies. It not only supported candidates, but provided legal support to candidates, assisted them with funds required for local campaigns and helped in strategy building. It also campaigned and educated voters through media outreach. (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/14/muslims-arent-single-issue-voters-gaza-was-a-lightning-rod-for-their-disaffection) Candidates like Ayoub Khan were able to record a historic win through their efforts and campaign.
Besides, in 2024 general election, 263 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons (40%) are held by female MPs. This is the highest number of women to sit in the House of Commons. As women representation has increased in British parliament, so has the number of Muslim women MPs. Last year, 10 out of 18 Muslim MPs were women, while this time there are 14 Muslim women MPs. (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06652/ ) Shabana Mahmood is the only Muslim woman in the current cabinet serving as the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. (https://members.parliament.uk/government/cabinet )
Despite the growing representation of ethnic minorities in the British parliament, Starmer’s cabinet is much less diverse. Of the three cabinet ministers appointed, only one is Muslim. Shabana Mahmood has been selected for the post of Justice Secretary (https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/uks-new-parliament-most-diverse-ever-except-at-the-top-11720205856932.html).
The Muslim MPs elected this time are relatively older than last time. In 2019, while only 4 Muslim MPs were 50 or above, this time they are 14. Similarly, those Muslim MPs who were under 50 years of age were 15, whereas in 2024, they are only 8. (Refer to the table below) Zarah Sultana, is the youngest Muslim MP in the parliament, who is just 31 years old while Afzal Khan is the oldest MP this time, who is 66 years old.
Most of the elected Muslim MPs are ethnically Pakistani as they were in the last general election. This time 13 Muslim MPs have a Pakistani ethnic origin whereas last time 16 Muslim MPs were from Pakistan. The representation of Bangladeshi ethnicities has increased amongst the Muslim MPs elected. 4 Muslim MPs elected this time are ethnically Bangladeshi, whereas there were only 2 of Bangladeshi origin last time. Apart from South Asia, other Muslim MPs are from the Middle East or Africa.
British Muslims in Parliament 2024
- Ayoub Khan
Originally, from Azad Kashmir in Pakistan, he has lived in the UK ever since he was six months old. Destabilizing traditional vote bank politics Ayoub Khan defeated veteran Labour MP, Khalid Mahmood who had been delivering the role since 2001 in Birmingham Perry Bar by 507 votes. He had been elected as a councilor for Liberal Democrats in the Aston ward in Birmingham since 2003 but after his TikTok posts on Gaza got viral, he was asked by the party to undertake antisemitism training. Before the general election, he left the Liberal Democrats party in May because he wanted to speak in favour of Gaza and continued to push the Palestinian cause in his campaign and was backed by The Muslim Vote (https://themuslimvote.co.uk/). During his victory speech, he wore a kuffiyeh (traditional scarf worn by Palestinians) and dedicated his victory to Gaza calling his campaign a relentless fight for justice, fairness and equality at local, national and international levels.
https://themuslimvote.co.uk/the-muslim-vote-initial-election-analysis/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-election-palestine-candidate-ayoub-khan-unseats-labour-khalid-mahmood
- Adnan Hussain
Born in 1989, he graduated in law from University of Central Lancashire and was admitted as a solicitor in 2022. He serves as a director at Bank View Solicitors in Blackburn. Adnan Hussain is a first time MP from for Blackburn who fought as an independent candidate externally supported by called 4BwD, an organization of councillors. He defeated the veteran Labour MP, Kate Hollern, who had been serving the position since 2014. In his election campaign he openly called for boycotting Israel and demanded a ceasefire.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9x836wdxpxo
- Iqbal Mohamed
He was born in Dewsbury in a Gujarati Indian family and graduated from Durham University where he studied electronics and physics. He broke all records by becoming the first independent candidate to win since 1907. He won by a little less than double the votes won by the runner from the Labour party. His campaign was around the Israel-Palestine conflict, where he advocated for a two-state solution, as well as focused on issues such as inflation and living costs in UK. He was associated with the Labour party for 30 years but earlier, this year he resigned from his position as a Labour councillor of Pendle along with nineteen others in order to register the protest against central leadership and the position taken on the Gaza issue.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/02/twenty-labour-councillors-resign-protest-leadership
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c03l1817z3po
https://www.imohamed4mp.co.uk/
- Shockat Adam
He was born in 1972 in Malaw in Gujarati family. He graduated from the University of Manchester and has been working as an optometrist for more than 15 years now at Sask Optics which is run by his family. He has entered the UK parliament for the first time after gaining a slim victory against Jonathan Ashworth, who was an MP since 2011 and had a majority of 20000. Although he supported the Labour party in 2019 elections, this was his political debut as he stood as an independent candidate. He dedicated his victory to Gaza, wearing a kuffiyeh as a symbol of his support to Palestine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4yddwvynzo https://shockatadam.org/about-me/
- Sadik al Hassan
He is an award- winning pharmacist who served the National Health Service and was an active frontline worker during the pandemic. He worked as the Superintendent Pharmacist of PillTime, the 4th largest Pharmacy, in the UK. In his political debut, he beat Conservative party’s MP, Liam Fox at North Somerset with 19138 votes, and became the first Labour MP of the constituency after more than three decades. His campaign gravitated towards improving healthcare, social care, public services, transport, sewage and other pertinent local issues.
- Abtisam Mohamed
Born in 1980, she migrated from Yemen with her family to UK and worked as a teacher and lawyer before joining the Labour party. She became the councillor for Firth Park ward in Sheffield in 2016. She won the seat of Sheffield Central in 2024 with more than double the votes won by the runner up of the Green Party who was supported by The Muslim Vote. And now she is the first Yemeni to serve the British Parliament. After her victory she reassured the people that she would advocate for an immediate ceasefire.
- Zubir Ahmed
Ahmed belongs to a Pakistani family which migrated to Glasgow long before his birth in 1980. He graduated as a doctor from University of Glasgow in 2005 and continued to do his specialization at King College, London after which he built his medical practice as a transplant surgeon. In 2021 he lost to Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party at Glasgow Pollok. In 2024, he has been elected as an MP for the first time from Glasgow South after defeating Chris Stephens of the Scottish National Party by a margin of more than 3000 votes and having a 43% vote share. His campaign agenda centred around improving National Health Service facilities.
https://www.drzubirahmed.com/meet-zubir
- Mohammad Yasin
Born in a British-Pakistani family in 1971, Yasin led a simple life, as his father was a truck driver. He obtained his early education from Degree College Mirpur and later migrated to Bedford. His political career started when he was elected as the councillor for Queen’s Park ward in Bedford Borough Council in 2006 and continued to serve in this role up until 2019. In 2017 general elections he won the MP seat of Bedford with a slim majority. In 2019, he secured his seat against the Conservative, Ryan Henson by a difference of just 149 votes. But in 2024, he won for a third time with more than 9400 votes.
- Rushanara Ali
Born in Bangladesh in 1975, Ali migrated with her family in the mid 1980s. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St. John’s College, Oxford. Prior to her political career, she worked as a research assistant and worked in the MP, Oona King’s parliamentary team from 1997 to 1999. She continued to play diverse roles at the Home Office, Institute of Public Policy Research and Tower Hamlets College along with writing for renowned media houses such as The Guardian and Prospect Magazine. She stood for the post of MP from Bethnal Green and Bow in 2007, but lost. But in 2010, she won with 11,704 votes, thus becoming the first Bangladeshi to reach the House of Commons. She also jointly became the first Muslim women MP in the parliament along with Yasmin Qureshi and Shabana Mahmood. She secured her seat in 2015, by obtaining 61% votes and winning by more than double the votes than last time. In 2017 and 2019 she won with more than 35,393 and 37,524 votes. But during the 2024 elections her absence from the ceasefire vote in November 2023 has reduced her majority of 37000 to a mere 1700. Her closest challenger, Ajmal Masroor, the independent candidate won 14,207 votes while Ali managed to secure 15,896.
- Tahir Ali
Born in a Pakistani family in 1971, Ali has been a member of the Labour Party since 1999. Tahir is an active trade unionist and served as a political officer for the Communication Workers Union, before being elected to Parliament. Ali currently represents the Nechells ward on Birmingham City Council, having first joined in 1999. He was on the council’s cabinet from 2012 to 2016, with responsibilities including development, jobs, skills, transport, and the economy. In 2019, he was elected as the MP for Birmingham Hall Green defeating his challenger and sitting MP, Roger Godsiff with 67.8% votes. In 2024, Ali was elected to the newly created constituency of Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley with significantly reduce vote share of 30.8% and majority of 5,656. During his campaign, he apologized for his statement suggesting that the former PM Sunak, has ‘blood on his hands’ in lieu of the Gaza-Israel issue.
https://tahirali.laboursites.org/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68086232
- Shabana Mahmood
Born in 1980 in Birmingham, Mahmood is a British-Pakistani and barrister by profession. Her family belongs to Mirpur, Pakistan and she lived for a few years in Saudi Arabia with her family. She graduated in law in 2002 from Lincoln College, University of Oxford. Since 2010, she has been serving as the MP of Birmingham Ladywood. Along with Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi, Mahmood became one of the UK’s first female Muslim MPs after defeating Labour Minister Clare Short. Mahmood was re-elected in 2024 with a decreased share of 42.5% and a majority of 3,421. She has been appointed as the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and is the only Muslim woman in the cabinet.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001096
https://www.shabanamahmood.org/
https://members.parliament.uk/government/cabinet
- Yasmin Qureshi
Born in 1963 in Pakistan, Yasmin is a barrister by profession. She attended what is now London South Bank University and graduated with a BA (Hons) Law degree before studying for and sitting her examinations for the Bar at the Council of Legal Education. She gained a Master of Laws at University College London. At the age of 16, Qureshi joined the Labour Party and became active in local politics. She stood, unsuccessfully, for Labour in the London constituency of Brent East in 2005. From 2010-24, she served as a Labour MP for South East Bolton. Along with Shabana Mahmood, Rushanara Ali became the first female MP in UK. In 2024 elections, she won for the Labour party at the South Bolton and Walkden seat.
https://www.yasminqureshi.org.uk/
- Imran Hussain
Born and raised in Bradford, he was the first person in his family to go to university, where he studied law, and is now a barrister. His grandfather came to the UK from a poor village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. He was elected to Bradford Council in 2013, going on to become Deputy Leader. In that role, he worked to set up MAGIC, a youth programme that helps those at risk of slipping into crime; protected domestic violence services from cuts; brought the state-of-the-art non-invasive post-mortem facilities to the city; protected community advice services and worked with the police commissioner to put more PCSOs on the street. He entered Parliament at the 2015 General Election and was appointed Shadow Employment Rights and Protections Minister in April 2020. Imran Hussain is a British Labour Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament for Bradford East since 2015. He was re-elected to parliament in 2017 and 2019. Previously he was Shadow Minister for Justice for three years and, before that, was a spokesman for International Development. In June 2024, Hussain was reselected as the Labour candidate for Bradford East at the 2024 general election.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-06-17b.344.0
https://imranhussain.laboursites.org/about/ https://policymogul.com/stakeholders/14106/imran-hussain
- Naz Shah
Born in 1973 in Bradford in a Pakistani family i, Naz Shah is a British Labour Party politician. She was elected at the 2015 general election as MP for Bradford West, winning the seat from George Galloway of the Respect Party. She won re-election in 2017 and 2019. She has served in the Opposition frontbench since 2018, currently as Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction. Naz Shah was born in Bradford. Her father left the family when she was six years old. At age 12, she was sent to Pakistan by her mother, to escape her mother’s abusive partner. She got married at the age of 15 in Pakistan. When she was 20, her mother was convicted of the murder of her partner, who had sexually and physically abused her for over a decade and served 7 years in prison. Prior to being elected to Parliament, Naz was chair of a mental health charity and has previously worked as a carer for disabled people, as an NHS Commissioner and as a director for a regional association supporting local councils. Her majority was reduced to only 707 because of Muhammad Ali Islam’s independent campaign in favour of Gaza.
[fn]https://www.nazshahmp.org.uk/about-2/[/fn]
- Zarah Sultana
She was born in 1992 in Birmingham. Zarah’s grandfather moved from Kashmir and settled in Birmingham in the 1960s. She studied International Relations and Economics at the University of Birmingham. During her university years, she was also elected to the Executive Council of NUS (National Union of Students). Zarah Sultana is a British Labour party Politician serving as a member of Parliament for Coventry South since 2019, holding the seat previously occupied by James Cunningham, who retired. She became the youngest-ever Pakistani-origin member of Parliament. She was re-elected in 2024 elections with an increased majority, which rose from 401 in the last general election in 2019 to over 10,000. She won 20,361 votes while her nearest rival, Mattie Heaven of the Conservatives, took just 10,160.
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-south-general-election-result-29480125
https://zarahsultana.com/about/[/fn]
- Naushaba Khan
Her family moved to UK in 1970s and she settled in Gillingham with her family. She graduated with a BA in History from the University of Birmingham in 2007. She went on to complete a graduate diploma in Law at BPP Law School in 2013. She has been a Labour councillor since 2015. She became an MP for Gillingham and Rainham in 2024 general elections with a majority of 3,927.
https://www.naushabahkhan.com/about-2/about/
https://www.medwayelects.co.uk/?page=councillors&id=khan.naushabahparveen#PoliticalCareer
- Afzal Khan
Afzal was born in Pakistan in 1958 and moved to the UK in 1971 at age 11, when he was adopted out of poverty as a child. He was elected to Manchester City Council in 2000 and was the youngest, first British Pakistani and Muslim Lord Mayor of Manchester between 2005 and 2006. He was also the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) for Northwest England from 2014 to 2017. He has also served as Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain and is currently its Northwest representative. In 2008 Afzal was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work on community cohesion, inter-faith and local government. Mohammad Afzal Khan is a Pakistani-born British Labour Party politician serving as a Member of Parliament for Manchester Gorton since 2017. In March of 2018, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, by President Mamnoon Hussain, recognising his contribution to the well-being of the people of Pakistan, particularly in the diaspora, and to Pakistani-British relations. Afzal Khan was re-elected in the constituency of Manchester Rusholme in the 2024 general elections with a vote count of 15,054 on a vote share of 51.9%, But his vote share reduced by 26% while that of his rival from the Green Party, increased by 19%.
[fn]https://www.afzalkhan.org.uk/about/[/fn]
[fn]https://policymogul.com/stakeholders/13347/afzal-khan[/fn]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001353
- Saqib Bhatti
He was born in 1985 in Walsall, West Midlands. Both of his parents are of Pakistani Origin. His father moved to the UK in the 1960s. He was educated at King Edward VI School for Boys in Edgbaston before going to the London School of Economics to read Law. He was the youngest-ever President of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and is the former President of the Asian Business Chambers of Commerce. By profession, he is a chartered accountant based in Birmingham. At 33 in 2018, he was the youngest person to take on the post in the chamber’s 205-year history. Mohammad Saqib Bhatti is a British Conservative politician who has been a member of Parliament for Meriden since the 2019 general election. He has also been the Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Business since September 2022. In 2019 he received an honorary doctorate from Aston University in Business Administration and has been a guest lecturer at Birmingham City University, Warwick University and University College Birmingham. In September 2021 he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary, but he resigned the following July, saying he did not have confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Saqib has been elected as the Member of Parliament for Meriden and Solihull East after winning almost 17,000 votes at the recent General Election. He was previously the MP for Meriden, having been elected in 2019.
[fn]https://www.saqibbhatti.org.uk/about-saqib-bhatti[/fn]
[fn]https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/meriden-mp-saqib-bhatti-quits-24409212[/fn]
- Munira Wilson
She was born in 1978 in London to parents of East African heritage from Zanzibar. Her father went to study in Britain. Her mother, aged 21 and stateless, fled to Britain during the Zanzibar Revolution. They met in Britain. She graduated St Catharine’s College, Cambridge in 2000 with a degree in modern languages. After a career working for health and children’s charities, the National Health Service and global science companies she then switched to working for the Liberal Democrats, becoming the campaigns organiser for Sue Doughty and the Guildford Liberal Democrats in 2004–2005, ahead of Doughty losing her Guildford seat at the 2005 general elections. Wilson was selected in 2019 to de-escalate Vince Cable as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Twickenham. Wilson was elected as MP in 2019 for Twickenham with 56.1% of the vote and a majority of 14,121. She was re-elected as MP for Twickenham with an increased vote share of 56.3 per cent and an increased majority of 21,457.
https://www.libdems.org.uk/mps/twickenham
- Rosena Chantelle Allin-Khanis
She was born in Tooting in 1977. Her mother is Polish, and her father is originally from Pakistan. was educated at Trinity St Mary’s Primary School, Balham, followed by The Grey Coat Hospital. She studied medical biochemistry at Brunel University, funding her education through a series of part-time jobs. After her medical studies at Lucy Cavendish College, Allin-Khan worked at the Royal London and Homerton Hospitals. She also completed a Master’s degree in public health. She spent more than 10 years working as a humanitarian doctor in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and she still does occasional shifts in the A&E department of her local hospital, St George’s in Tooting. was first elected as a Wandsworth Labour Councillor for Tooting Bec and Balham in 2014 where I proudly served as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Group. In 2016, she ran for and won the seat vacated by Sadiq Khan in 2016. She joined Keir Starmer’s front bench as Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health in 2020. In 2024 she was re-elected as an MP for Tooting with more than 29000 votes, replacing Ethan Brooks of the Conservative party.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001550
[fn]https://www.drrosena.co.uk/about-me.html[/fn]
- Nusrat Ghani
She was born in Pakistan-administrated Kashmir in 1972. Her father served as a schoolmaster in Kashmir before the family migrated to the UK. Ghani was raised in Birmingham in a working-class background and educated at Bordesley Green Girls’ School. She was the first woman in her family to be go to the university. She attended state comprehensive school before studying at Birmingham City University (BA in Government and Politics) and Leeds University (MA in International Relations). Before beginning her career in politics, Nusrat was employed by the charities Age UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and later for the BBC World Service. She joined the Conservative Party and since 2015 she is serving as a member of Parliament for Wealden. She was previously Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy from 27 October 2022 to 7 February 2023, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport from January 2018 to February 2020. Nusrat Ghani was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade and as the Minister of State responsible for the Investment Security Unit at the Cabinet Office on 7 February 2023. In 2024, she retained her seat by winning 16,758 votes and obtaining 34.1% votes on a turnout of 67.5%.
https://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/3819
[fn]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42733192[/fn]
- Miatta Fahnbulleh
She was born in Liberia in 1979. In 1986, her family fled Liberia because of the civil war and sought asylum in UK. Here, Fahnbulleh graduated in 2000 with a BA degree and obtained a PhD degree in Economic Development in 2005 from the London School of Economics. On 22 May 2022, Fahnbulleh was a recipient of the MotheRED grant, which provides funding for mothers to stand as parliamentary candidates for the Labour Party. In the general elections of 2024, she was elected in Peckham with a reduced majority of 15,228 for the first time. Her predecessor Harriet Harman had been the local MP since 1982 and served as Deputy Leader and Acting Leader. Fahnbulleh ran a campaign focussing on local economic revitalisation, housing, and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. She also pledged to establish a constituency office.
https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/peckham/labours-miatta-fahnbulleh-elected-mp-for-peckham/
- Rupa Huq
Born in 1972, into a family from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). She graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge in 1993 and completed her PhD in 1999 from University of East London. She worked as an academic at University of Manchester and Kingston University apart from contributing to renowned media platforms such as The Guardian and New Statesman. Huq joined the Labour party and contested for various positions since 2005 but did not succeed. Finally in 2015, she became the MP for Ealing Central and Acton with 43% votes. In 2024 elections she was re-elected and got 22,340 votes beating Conservative candidate James Windsor-Clive who got 8,345 votes.
- Apsana Begum
Born in 1990 in Tower Hamlets, she graduated from Queen Mary University of London. Her parents were originally from Bangladesh. Her father was a Labour Party politician, the Tower Hamlets Community Housing Board Director (2002-2006) and the 2004 Mayor of Tower Hamlets. She worked as an admin officer for Tower Hamlets Council whilst the discredited former Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, held office. In 2017, she became the first British Bangladeshi woman elected as Secretary of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party. Apsana Begum entered Parliament at the 2019 General Election at the safe Labour seat of Poplar and Limehouse, replacing Jim Fitzpatrick, who retired. In 2024 elections, she received a total of 18,535 votes, followed by Nathalie Sylvia Bienfait of The Green Party who received a total of 5,975 votes.
[fn]https://policymogul.com/stakeholders/15637/apsana-begum[/fn]
- Nesil Caliskan
Born in 1989 into a Turkish-Cypriot family, Nesil was raised in London. She graduated from the University of Reading and did a masters in Politics and Communication from London School of Economics in 2012. She campaigned for the Labour Party ever since she was in her teens. From 2013 till 2015, Caliskan was Cabinet Support Officer in Haringey Council and from June to December 2015 a Parliamentary Researcher in the House of Commons and also had roles in the National Health Service from 2016 to 2018. She became the first Muslim woman in the UK to be elected as a council leader, a position she has held in Enfield since 2018. She was elected Member of Parliament for Barking with an 11,054 majority, succeeding veteran MP Margaret Hodge who stood down. She has become the first from her heritage to reach the British parliament.
https://www.nesilcaliskan.com/
