Apsana Begum


Apsana Begum is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse since 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she succeeded Jim Fitzpatrick, who was first elected in 1997.

Early life and career

Begum was born in Shadwell, Tower Hamlets, London to Bengali Muslim parents originally from the village of Ludorpur in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, Bangladesh. Her Sylheti father, Manir Uddin Ahmed, was also a Labour Party politician, the Tower Hamlets Community Housing Board Director and the 2004 Mayor of Tower Hamlets. Begum completed her education at Queen Mary University of London.
In her early twenties, Apsana Begum worked as an administrative officer for Tower Hamlets Council, having been recruited through an agency, when the former Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, held office.
In 2017, Begum became the first British Bangladeshi woman elected as Secretary of .
She has been actively involved in local campaigns to protect public services, stating that "tackling inequalities and standing up for marginalised communities has always been key to me". She presented a petition to Tower Hamlets Council asking the Mayor to reconsider the 2017 budget "on the grounds that it is discriminatory to Women and Black and Minority Ethnic residents".

Parliamentary career

Apsana Begum was selected to contest the safe Labour seat of Poplar and Limehouse at the 2019 General Election. She was endorsed by the left-wing group Momentum and nominated from an all-women shortlist, which included Tower Hamlets councillor Amina Ali and Progress activist Heather Peto. Begum was endorsed by the then Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott who said
"I am delighted that Apsana - a young working class Bengali woman - has put herself forward to represent the seat where she was born and has lived all her life. Apsana has a strong record in fighting against the Tories' austerity agenda – standing up for young people, women and ethnic minorities in particular."
In the general election in December 2019, Begum was elected MP for Poplar and Limehouse beating Conservative Sheun Oke by 28,904 votes. This was more than Jim Fitzpatrick’s 27,712 vote majority in the 2017 general election meaning that the Labour Party held the seat with an increased majority.
Begum is a member of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group of MPs.
Apsana Begum is the UK's first Muslim woman MP to wear the hijab, taking her seat in what has been called the most diverse Parliament ever. On being elected, Begum spoke to the about the series of racist, Islamophobic and misogynistic attacks that she has had to endure and the many barriers facing BAME women when getting involved in public life. During an interview with Dazed and Confused she said
"It has been quite horrendous"...and it’s been quite personalised in terms of attacks. Before being elected, you see other MPs go through that but you don’t necessarily appreciate the impact it can have on someone as an individual. But it does – we’re all human beings.”
In response to allegations that the ex-Mayor Lutfur Rahman was behind her political career, Begum told
“It is grossly insulting, as well as being rooted in racism and misogyny, to assume that I have no agency of my own and that I must be a ‘proxy’ or ‘stooge’ for a man I have not spoken to for six years.”
Begum delivered maiden speech in Parliament during a debate about International Women’s Day paying tribute what she described as the “rich history of women’s struggles for social justice” in East London.

COVID-19 & black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people

On the 9th April 2020, in an article published by Left Foot Forward, Apsana Begum MP raised concerns about impact of the coid-19 pandemic on low-income families and & black, Asian and minority ethnic people, saying
"...evidence also suggests that ethnic minority communities are at a greater risk.This is unsurprising given the proportion of workers from black and ethnic minority backgrounds being on the front line of the fight against the virus."
Begum tabled and spoke about this issue during the 2nd Reading debate of the on 27th April 2020. On12th May, Begum raised this issue again in Parliament, highlighting new data released by Tower Hamlet’s Council:
"New local figures today show that Tower Hamlets residents of Asian background are twice as likely to be showing signs of COVID-19, yet shockingly this is not news per se, but confirmation of what had already become increasingly clear. Many of us have been raising concerns about the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic people for weeks and weeks now—right since the onset of this crisis. The Government finally announced that they were launching a review of the impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities, but what has actually happened since—what actual steps have been taken? I am forced to continue to say it again and again: urgent, immediate and robust steps must be taken to address the unequal health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic groups—not tomorrow but today."

Council housing allegations

Begum "faces an investigation over whether she wrongly secured a council flat". Begum had left her husband's residence and was allocated a one-bed flat worth £330,000 soon afterwards, allegedly jumping a queue of 18,000 people on the waiting list in her local area. A senior executive at Tower Hamlets has received two official complaints concerning Begum's housing allocation. A Labour Party source has said, "It's a disgrace these malicious attacks are being published, and she is being forced to relive these traumatic experiences." A council spokesman has said that it takes allegations of housing fraud very seriously.

Personal life

In 2014, Begum moved into her husband's residence, and they split up a year later. Her ex-husband is a councillor for Tower Hamlets. She does not have any children.