Yasmin Qureshi
| Yasmin Qureshi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Bolton South East | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Iddon |
| Majority | 8,634 (21.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1963 Gujrat, Pakistan |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Polytechnic of the South Bank, University College London |
| Religion | Islam |
| Website | yasminqureshi.org.uk |
Yasmin Qureshi (born 5 July 1963)[1] is a Pakistani-born British Labour Party politician and a barrister practicing criminal law. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton South East in the May 2010 general election.[2]
Early life
Qureshi was born in Gujrat, Pakistan and moved to Britain when she was nine. Her father was an engineer and they lived in Watford.[3]
She attended the Polytechnic of the South Bank (later London South Bank University) and obtained a BA (Hons) Law degree and completed her Barrister-at-Law examinations at the Council of Legal Education. She obtained a Master of Laws at University College London.[4]
Political career
At the age of 16, Qureshi joined the Labour Party and became active in local politics.[5]
She stood, unsuccessfully, for Labour in the London constituency of Brent East in 2005.[2] She has worked as a human rights advisor to the former London mayor Ken Livingstone[2] and previously headed the criminal legal section of the UN Mission in Kosovo.[2] Qureshi previously chaired the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Working Group of the Association of Muslim Lawyers and was President of the Pakistan Club (UK).[4]
She was elected at the 2010 general election in the safe Labour seat of Bolton South East, inheriting a majority of 11,000.[6] Qureshi, Rushanara Ali and Shabana Mahmood, elected at the same time, became Britain's first female Muslim MPs. Qureshi is also the first woman to be elected as the member of parliament for Bolton South East.[2]
Qureshi is a supporter of "all-black shortlists" as a method of getting more ethnic minorities into Parliament.[7]
References
- ↑ Yasmin Qureshi Democracy Live, BBC News
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Adetunji, Jo; Tran, Mark (7 May 2010). "General election 2010: first female Muslim MPs elected". guarian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ↑ The first Asian woman MP? Evening Standard, 27 February 2004
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Yasmin Qureshi". The Telegraph.
- ↑ The return of the Native?: Gujrati lass gears up for UK polls Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan, 15 March 2004
- ↑ Yasmin aiming for double first Manchester Evening News, 29 August 2007
- ↑ "Diverse candidates bid for Westminster". BBC News. 29 April 2005.
External links
- Yasmin Qureshi MP Official constituency website
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Brian Iddon |
Member of Parliament for Bolton South East 2010–present |
Incumbent |