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Hina Bokhari
Hina Bokhari (born 10 August 1975) is a British politician and educator. A member of the Liberal Democrats, Bokhari has served as a Member of the London Assembly since the 2021 election.[2] Upon her election, she became one of the first Muslim women to serve in the assembly.[3] In May 2024, she was elected to serve as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly, making her the first British Asian to lead a party group in the assembly.[4] Early life and educationBorn in Enfield, north London, she is the daughter of Nawazish "Naz" Bokhari and Rizwana Bokhari and is of Pakistani descent.[5] 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 appointed OBE for services to education in the 2001 Birthday Honours. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was one of his students[6][7] Hina's younger brother, Harris Bokhari, is a charity founder .[8][9][10] CareerPrior to becoming politically active, Bokhari worked as a teacher for 20 years in London schools. She has also founded two youth focused charities.[11] Political careerBokhari joined the Liberal Democrats in 2017, standing for election to Merton London Borough Council in 2018 and winning her seat, becoming the first Muslim woman elected in Merton. She was re-elected as a Councillor in 2022. [11] Bokhari was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the marginal Sutton and Cheam constituency in the 2019 general election. She finished second behind Conservative incumbent, Paul Scully, who won the seat with a majority of 8,351.[12] London AssemblyIn 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.[13] On 6 May 2021, Bokhari was elected as a Member of the London Assembly.[14] She was the first Liberal Democrat to win a seat on the London Assembly since 2004. She was also one of the first Muslim women ever to be elected to the London Assembly alongside Marina Ahmad AM and Sakina Sheikh AM.[3] Upon taking up her seat on the London Assembly, Bokhari sits on the Environment Committee, Economy Committee, the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning (FREP) Committee and the Cost of Living Working Group. She served as the Chair of the Economy Committee from 2022 to 2023. Hina Bokhari was re-selected in 2023 to run for the London Assembly again by the Liberal Democrats for the next London Assembly elections coming first in the members' ballot meaning she will top the list for the Party.[15] Having been re-elected in the 2024 London Assembly Election, Bokhari took over from Caroline Pidgeon as Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the Assembly. She now sits on the Fire Committee, Transport Committee, Economy Committee and Oversight Committee. She will chair the Fire Committee for the 2024-25 term.[citation needed] Political viewsAs a member of the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning (FREP) Committee, Bokhari has campaigned for action to tackle the building safety and cladding crisis in London and for action to reduce the amount of lithium-ion battery fires being caused by faulty E-bikes and E-scooters across the City.[16][17] Bokhari has campaigned for cleaner air in London and is a keen supporter of cargo bikes, calling for more to be done to support businesses in London to transition to them for moving goods around London.[18] Bokhari has also called for more to be done to raise awareness of the dangers to public health caused by wood burning in London.[19] Bokhari has criticized Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan for campaigning to reduce air pollution, but supporting Silvertown Tunnel and having greenlit London City Airport expansion, two projects that would dramatically increase air pollution in Newham, already one of the most polluted parts of the UK and one of London's most diverse and deprived communities.[20] Apart from air pollution, Bokhari has called for the UK Government to do more to tackle water pollution and to prevent raw sewage being dumped in the River Thames and its tributaries. Bokhari has also called for the power to fine water companies for polluting rivers to be devolved from the UK Government to the GLA, as in other major cities around the world and for the Mayor of London to take action by planting more trees to prevent the flooding and overflow of sewage drains during periods of heavy rain.[21] Personal lifeIn 2008, Bokhari married Martin Cooper and the couple have two children, a son and daughter. Outside of politics, Bokhari lists her interests as baking, "playing board games with my kids," and "spending time with friends and family."[8] References
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