Apsana Begum

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Apsana Begum

MP
Official portrait of Apsana Begum MP crop 2.jpg
Begum in 2019
Member of Parliament
for Poplar and Limehouse
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byJim Fitzpatrick
Majority28,904 (47.2%)
Personal details
Born (1990-05-25) 25 May 1990 (age 31)
Shadwell, London, UK
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)
Ehtashamul Haque
​
​
(m. 2013; div. 2015)​
Alma materQueen Mary University of London (BA)
ProfessionPolitician
WebsiteOfficial website

Apsana Begum (Bengali: আফসানা বেগম; born 25 May 1990) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Poplar and Limehouse since 2019.[1][2]

Early life and career[]

Begum was born in Shadwell, Tower Hamlets to Bengali Muslim parents, Manir Uddin Ahmed and Syeda Nazma Begom. She is one of six daughters, and has a brother. Her ancestral home is in Ludorpur village of Jagannathpur, Sunamganj District, Bangladesh.[3] Ahmed, who died in 2012, was also a Labour Party politician (representing the Shadwell ward), the Tower Hamlets Community Housing Board Director (2002–2006) and the 2004 Mayor of Tower Hamlets.[1][4] Begum completed her education at Queen Mary University of London, where she gained a BA (Hons) in Politics in 2011.[5][2]

From 2011 to 2013, whilst she was in her early twenties, Begum worked in the role of Executive Support and Admin for Tower Hamlets Council, having been recruited through an agency, when the former Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, held office.[6][2] Begum was a Workforce Diversity Project Officer for Tower Hamlets Homes from 2014 to 2015, and Equality and Diversity Officer for Queen Mary University of London from 2016 to 2018.[2]

In 2017, Begum became the first British Bangladeshi woman elected as Secretary of Tower Hamlets Labour Party.[7] 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".[8] 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".[9]

In 2019, she became a trustee of the Women's Inclusive Team.[2]

Parliamentary career[]

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[10] and nominated from an all-women shortlist,[11][12] which included Tower Hamlets councillor Amina Ali and Progress activist Heather Peto.[13] Begum was endorsed by the then Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, who said "Apsana has a strong record in fighting against the Tories' austerity agenda – standing up for young people, women and ethnic minorities in particular."[14][15][16]

Begum was subsequently elected as MP for Poplar and Limehouse,[17] beating Conservative Sheun Oke by 28,904 votes.[17] This was more than her predecessor Jim Fitzpatrick's 27,712 vote majority[18] at the 2017 general election, and represented an increased majority for Labour, albeit on a slightly reduced vote share. Begum is a member of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group of MPs. She is the UK's first Muslim woman MP to wear the hijab,[19][20] taking her seat in what has been called the most diverse Parliament ever.[21]

On being elected, Begum spoke to the Eastern Eye about what she described as a 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.[22] During an interview with Dazed, 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."[23]

In response to allegations that the ex-Mayor Lutfur Rahman was behind her political career, Begum told Eastlondonlines "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."[24] Begum delivered her maiden speech in Parliament during a debate about International Women's Day, paying tribute to what she described as the "rich history of women's struggles for social justice" in East London.[20][25][26]

Islamophobia[]

Begum commented in November 2020 that the Labour Party "has been in denial" about the problem of Islamophobia. She told ITV News: "It's quite regular to be asked questions and to constantly be asked to reaffirm my commitment towards British society as if in some way my identity and politics are not compatible."[27] Also in November 2020, Begum secured cross-party backing for a motion in Parliament[28] highlighting a surge in racist attacks and Islamophobia in Britain and abroad,[29] and wrote about her experiences "as someone who has first-hand experience of the rise in Islamophobia over the past decades" saying that "I know that every single day people of Muslim backgrounds like me face discrimination and prejudice."[30] In 2021, Begum wrote to the British Ambassador to France demanding they publicly condemn proposals to ban the hijab for under 18s.[31][32]

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

On 9 April 2020, in an article published by Left Foot Forward, Begum raised concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income families and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people. She said that the communities were at a greater risk due to the proportion of members who worked in the health sector.[33] Begum tabled Early Day Motion Number 427, "COVID-19 and BAME Communities" and spoke about this issue during the second reading debate of the Finance Bill on 27 April 2020.[34] On 12 May, Begum raised the issue again in Parliament, highlighting new data released by Tower Hamlet's Council.[35][36]

Julian Assange[]

Begum has publicly opposed the extradition of Julian Assange[37] and sponsored a related motion in parliament.[38][39]

Personal life[]

After graduating in 2011, Begum moved back to her parents' house, and then started a relationship with Ehtashamul Haque, a member of Tower Hamlets Council. [40][12] After her father died in 2012, her family learnt of the relationship and, Haque being twice divorced and older than her, disapproved of it. [41] She has said that she feared her brother would become violent. Begum and Haque married in May 2013, with none of the family attending, and her property was left in bin liners outside the family’s house. She moved into her husband's residence, but she has alleged that he was abusive towards her, and then cheated on her, leading her to end the marriage in October 2015.[42][43] She reconciled with her family, and slept on a sofa in their living room.[41] She does not have any children.[42]

In January 2020, Begum wrote in a tweet that she had suffered from domestic abuse.[44] She went on to become chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse and in 2021, while debating the Domestic Abuse Act, Begum said in Parliament that she was a victim of domestic abuse, and recognised the work of fellow Labour MP Jess Phillips against such abuse.[45][46]

She lists her recreations as "cooking with family, watching period dramas, listening to qawwali music, baking, avid doodling" and "long bus journeys".[2]

Council housing fraud allegations[]

Subsequent to being elected, Begum was investigated over whether she wrongly secured a social housing flat.[12][47][48]

When she returned from university to her family home in 2011, she had shared a bedroom with her sister and aunt, while her parents and brother used the two other bedrooms in the house. So she applied for social housing from Tower Hamlets Council, stating the house had only three bedrooms. That classed it as overcrowded, giving her priority in the queue. When she moved in with her husband in 2013, she notified the authority’s council tax department about the move, and has stated she assumed that information would be passed to the housing department.[41]

When, in 2016, Begum left her husband after the breakdown of her marriage,[48][49] she once again applied for social housing, though she was still in a priority group on the housing register.[41] Shortly afterwards she secured a rented one-bed flat.[42][43]

In October 2019, a senior executive at Tower Hamlets Council received two official complaints concerning Begum's housing allocation.[42] She was interviewed in January 2020, when it was alleged she had lied about not having her own bedroom, as the house had four bedrooms, her mother and aunt having so stated on other occasions. Begum states that the “fourth bedroom” was in fact used as a dining room. She was also accused of failing to notify the Council when she moved to her husband’s home in 2013.[41]

Responding to the allegations, Begum denied wrongdoing, saying that the flat provided her with "the lifeline" which she "needed to live independently and safely".[50] A Labour Party source said, "It's a disgrace these malicious attacks are being published, and she is being forced to relive these traumatic experiences."[42] A council spokesman commented that it takes allegations of housing fraud very seriously.[42]

In October 2020, Begum was charged with three counts of fraud dating between 18 January 2013 and 31 March 2016, relating to the charge that she dishonestly failed to disclose information.[51] She stated that she was going to "vigorously contest" the charges,[52][53][54] and pleaded not guilty to all charges on 8 December.

Deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram approved an application to prevent her address from being read out in open court on the basis that "since the murder of Jo Cox, MPs are advised to take higher regard to their security and is not usually safe practice to reveal details of home addresses". Her solicitor also highlighted problems with "a member of the Labour Party and their supporters" who had "started a campaign of harassment against Miss Begum."[citation needed]

The case was sent to Snaresbrook Crown Court for trial by jury, which began on 21 July 2021.[55][56] Evidence was presented that she had been applying for council properties during her marriage to Haque, which she said he did without her knowledge (he denied that). She argued that she was a victim of coercive control and financial abuse[41] and, on 30 July 2021, she was found not guilty on all charges.[57][58][12]

References[]

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  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Begum, Apsana, (born 25 May 1990), MP (Lab) Poplar and Limehouse, since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2020. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u293982. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
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  45. ^ Begum, Apsana [@ApsanaBegumMP] (15 April 2021). "As a survivor of domestic abuse, I believe we should never stop working to ensure life-saving support reaches everyone subjected to it. #DomesticAbuseBill t.co/0Pg5ZpQ4UJ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Twitter.
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External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Jim Fitzpatrick 		Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""