Hina Bokhari

Hina Bokhari (born 10 August 1975) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been a member of the London Assembly (AM) for Londonwide since May 2021.[1] She became the joint first Muslim woman elected to the Assembly, along with Sakina Sheikh and Marina Ahmad.[2]

Hina Bokhari
AM
Member of the London Assembly for Londonwide
Assumed office
6 May 2021
Member of London Borough of Merton for West Barnes
Assumed office
3 May 2018
Preceded byBrian Lewis-Lavender (Con)
Personal details
Born (1975-08-10) 10 August 1975
Enfield, Greater London, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Spouse
Martin Cooper
​
(m. 2008)​
Children2

Early life

Bokhari was born in Enfield, north London. She is the daughter of Nawazish "Naz" Bokhari and Rizwana Bokhari. Hina's younger brother is charity founder Harris Bokhari.[1][2][3] Her Punjabi-born father Naz was the first British Muslim to run a secondary school in the UK; he was headteacher of Ernest Bevin College and was awarded an OBE for services to education in the 2001 Birthday Honours. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was one of his students.[4][5]

Career

Prior to becoming politically active, Bokhari taught for 20 years in London schools and founded two youth focused charities.[6] Bokhari has previously worked as a teacher and is a councillor in Merton.

Politics

Bokhari joined the Liberal Democrats in 2017, standing for election to Merton Council in 2018 and winning her seat, becoming the first Muslim woman elected in Merton.[6]

In 2018, she came fifth in the members ballot for the Liberal Democrat list for the 2020 London Assembly election (postponed until 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic). However, she was promoted to second place on the list because she was from an ethnic minority.[7]

Bokhari was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the marginal Sutton and Cheam constituency in the 2019 general election, she finished second behind the Conservative Party incumbent, Paul Scully, who won the seat with a majority of over 8,500.[8]

On 6 May 2021, Bokhari was elected as a Member of the London Assembly.[9] Her gain was the first seat the Liberal Democrats had gained on the London Assembly since 2004.

Personal life

In 2008, Bokhari married Martin Cooper. The couple have a son and daughter. Outside of politics, Bokhari lists her recreations as baking, "playing board games with my kids" and "spending time with friends and family".[1]

References
  1. "Bokhari, Hina, (born 10 Aug. 1975), Member (Lib Dem), London Assembly, Greater London Authority, since 2021". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2022. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u296006. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. White, Nadine (1 May 2021). "'Sad but exciting' to break barriers, says first London Assembly Muslim woman hopeful". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  3. "Hina Bokhari". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  4. Bloom, Adi (22 April 2011). "Obituary - Naz Bokhari, 1937-2011". Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. "Nawazish Bokhari". The Times. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. "Hina Bokhari". London Liberal Democrats.
  7. "Lib Dems announce results for London Assembly list selection". 21 November 2018.
  8. "Sutton & Cheam parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News". Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  9. "Results 2021". London Elects.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.