London’s pride at Assembly diversity
NEWLY-ELECTED BRITISH ASIAN MEMBERS’ JOY AS POLITICAL PARTIES RETAIN THEIR CONSTITUENCY SEATS ACROSS CAPITAL
NEW British-Asian members of the London Assembly have spoken of their pride at being elected, after results of last Thursday (6)’s elections were announced over the weekend.
Seven new Assembly members have been elected, including several British Asians. Labour’s Krupesh Hirani and Marina Ahmad and Liberal Democrat Hina Bokhari are among them.
Speaking to Eastern Eye on Monday (10), Bokhari described her election as “an honour”.
“It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for such a long time now,” the new Lib Dem London Assembly member told Eastern Eye.
“It’s taken a long time to get here, with the cancellation of the elections last year (due to the coronavirus pandemic). I’m very pleased and can’t wait to get started,” Bokhari added.
As one of the first Muslim woman to be elected to the London Assembly, she stressed the need for more women from diverse backgrounds in politics.
“If we have better representation, in all fields of politics, whether it’s the London Assembly or parliament, it’s only a good thing for democracy, making sure all voices are heard,” said Bokhari, who previously was a councillor in Merton, south London.
Hirani was successfully voted in as Labour’s London Assembly member in Brent and Harrow in north London. Born and raised in the borough, he said he was “immensely proud to have been entrusted by the people of Brent and Harrow to represent them at City Hall”.
He thanked his predecessor Navin Shah, who served as the borough’s Assembly member since 2008. “He has been a community activist for decades locally (and) I know he will continue to play an active part in the Labour party and local community,” Hirani said.
Labour’s Ahmad was declared as the London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark. She succeeds Florence Eshalomi, who was first elected in 2016 and is now the Labour MP for Vauxhall.
“A massive thank you to Lambeth and Southwark residents who have put their trust in me as their London Assembly member and voted me in,” said Ahmad, who previously served as a councillor for Crystal Palace.
“I’m so proud to represent such a diverse community that has so many proud and different cultures. It is the beating cultural heart of a diverse London – from the Southbank to the Small Community Arts Project, it is such an incredible place.”
Perry Vale councillor Sakina Sheikh was announced alongside Elly Baker as Labour’s new London-wide Assembly members.
“This is such an honour & a privilege and I’m immensely grateful to every single person who’s made this possible,” Sheikh said on social media. “Congrats to all who took part in this election. Excited to get to work.”
The first meeting of the new London Assembly term is expected to take place on Friday (14). The 25-member Assembly is made up of 14 members elected directly on a constituency basis and another 11 that are selected through a London-wide vote.
None of the 14 constituency seats changed hands, with both Labour and Conservatives keeping all their seats. Labour’s Unmesh Desai retained his City and East seat, which he has held since 2016. Labour’s incumbent Ealing and Hillingdon London Assembly member Dr Onkar Sahota was also reelected, after winning the majority of the vote share.
Meanwhile, Labour’s Rita Begum was defeated by Conservative Tony Devenish to retain the West Central seat, which he has held since 2016. Although the constituency had been earmarked as a potential swing seat for Labour, Devenish secured 55,163 votes (38.9 per cent), ahead of Begum, who came in second with 52,938 votes (37.3 per cent).
The Assembly, part of the Greater London Authority, scrutinises the activities of the mayor and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the mayor’s annual budget.