Anwara Ali
| Cllr/Dr Anwara Ali | |
|---|---|
| Councillor of Bow West ward in Tower Hamlets Borough | |
|
In office 4 May 2006 – 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Ludlow |
| Succeeded by | Joshua Peck |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
15 September 1970 East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party |
Labour (until 2010) Conservative (2010–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Reza Ahmed Faisol Choudhury |
| Relations |
Jobed Ali (father) Solima Khatun (mother) Siraj Uddin (brother) Shanara Begum (sister) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Tower Hamlets, London, England |
| Alma mater |
St. Bartholomew's and Royal London Medical School Royal College of General Practitioners |
| Occupation | General practitioner |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Islam |
Anwara Ali (Bengali: আনোয়ারা আলী; born 15 September 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician, former councillor for Bow West, former Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being in Tower Hamlets and general practitioner in Spitalfields Practice.
Early life
Ali's parents are the late Jobed Ali, a businessman, and Solima Khatun. Ali was born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and came to the United Kingdom as a young child, where she was educated. Her elder brother Siraj Uddin and sister Shanara Begum also live in the United Kingdom.[1]
In 1997, Ali graduated with an MBBS from St. Bartholomew's and Royal London Medical School.[1]
Career
Ali is local government councillor[2][3] and lead Cabinet Member for Adult Health and Wellbeing in Tower Hamlets Council.[4] In 2006,[5] she entered politics as a Labour Party candidate in the Tower Hamlets Council elections. She won the Bow West seat despite only entering the election eight weeks before the polling date. She defeated Janet Ludlow, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader in Tower Hamlets, in a seat that had been under the control of the Liberal Democrats for 30 years. Ali and her colleagues achieved the biggest swing (15.6%) to Labour in the whole of London. In 2007, Ali campaigned for Harriet Harman to become deputy leader of the Labour Party, and Harman won.[1] In February 2010, due to Labour's failure to reform the NHS, Ali defected to the Conservative Party.[6][7][8][9][10] However, she failed to get re-elected in the following election in May.[11]
Ali is a GP Principal and Partner at Spitalfields Practice in London. She also works for Tower Hamlets Primary Trust as the lead GP for cancer screening.[1] She was chosen to front the NHS campaign locally to persuade Bengali-speaking women to sign up to breast screening programmes.[12]
Ali serves on the Government's Woman Councillors Task Force, which was launched in Admiralty House in Whitehall, London. She is a patron of the Bow Community Association, as well as a founding member of the award-winning Social Action for Health. She also helped to establish the Nisa Association.[1]
Ali is a presenter on Channel S's Health is Wealth programme, which discusses topical health issues and how to reduce health inequalities, especially in the Bangladeshi community. Ali was also asked by Tower Hamlets Health Authority to present a series of programmes entitled Communities in Action.[1]
Ali is also a columnist for Bangla Mirror and the East London Advertiser.[1]
Personal life
Ali is a Muslim.[3] She is married to Reza Ahmed Faisol Choudhury and they have a son, Obaid Reza Jaami Al-Choudhury.[1]
See also
- British Bangladeshi
- List of British Bangladeshis
- List of ethnic minority politicians in the United Kingdom
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Karim, Mohammed Abdul; Karim, Shahadoth (July 2008). British Bangladeshi Who's Who (PDF). British Bangla Media Group. p. 34. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Another selection, another ethnic minority MP? The H&WG selection". The Multicultural Politic. 5 February 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- 1 2 Tatari, Eren (2014). Muslims in British Local Government: Representing Minority Interests in Hackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets. Brill Publishers. p. 127. ISBN 978-9004269699.
- ↑ Saini, Angela (22 May 2008). "A shake-up at the Town Hall". London: BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Election results for Bow West". Tower Hamlets Council. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Doctor chosen as face of the NHS defects to Tories". Redhotcurry.com. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ Hill, John (23 February 2010). "Cabinet member Ali jumps ship to Tories". London: The Wharf. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Muslim Councillors Ditch Labour". MPAC UK. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Another Labour councillor joins the Conservatives". The Conservative Party. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Tower Hamlets Labour councillor defects to the Conservatives". Conservatives Home. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ↑ "Election results for Bow West". Tower Hamlets Council. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Doctor chosen as face of the NHS defects to Tories". London: London Evening Standard. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.