Onkar Sahota

Onkar Sahota
Sahota in 2022
Deputy Chair of the London Assembly
In office 4 May 2023 – 6 May 2024
Preceded by	Andrew Boff
Succeeded by	Len Duvall
Chair of the London Assembly
In office May 2022 – 4 May 2023
Deputy	Andrew Boff
Preceded by	Andrew Boff
Succeeded by	Andrew Boff
Member of the London Assembly for Ealing and Hillingdon
In office 4 May 2012 – 6 May 2024
Preceded by	Richard Barnes
Succeeded by	Bassam Mahfouz
Majority	8,242 (4.0%)
Personal details
Born	Punjab, India
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Residence(s)	Southall and Ealing
Alma mater	University of Sheffield
Profession	Doctor

Onkar Sahota is a British Labour Party politician and general practitioner who served as Chair of the London Assembly from 2022 to 2023. He was Deputy Chair of the London Assembly from 2023 to 2024, and the first Labour member of the London Assembly for Ealing and Hillingdon, from 2012 until 2024.[1]

Early life

Onkar Sahota grew up in Southall during the 1960s as one of five children, having three sisters and a brother. His parents had moved to the UK from India.[2] His father worked for British Airways before opening his own greengrocers.[3]

He studied medicine at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1983, and is now a general practitioner at a surgery in Southall.

Political career

In 2012, Sahota was elected the new member for Ealing & Hillingdon on a 9.2% swing, defeating incumbent Conservative member and Deputy Mayor of London Richard Barnes. Sahota was re-elected in 2016 with an increased majority.[4] He served as the London Assembly Labour Group's lead spokesperson on health and was Chair of the Assembly's Health Committee.[5]

Sahota was re-elected in 2021 but with his majority halved.[6] In May 2022, Sahota was elected as Chair of the London Assembly.[7]

Policy

Sahota opposes the planned closure of the accident and emergency (A&E) ward at Ealing Hospital, and launched a petition to keep the facility open.[8] The campaign was ultimately successful and the closure plans were scrapped.[9] Sahota has also campaigned on issues including the Southall Waterside development and the impact of budgetary pressures on London's accident and emergency departments.[10][11]

References

1. "Results 2012 | London Elects". Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
2. "About - Dr Onkar Sahota". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
3. "About Onkar | Dr. Onkar Sahota | Working Hard for Ealing & Hillingdon". Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
4. "Ealing & Hillington 2016 results | London Elects" (PDF). londonelects.org.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
5. "London Assembly – Membership of Committees/Bodies and Terms of Reference 2019/20 | London Assembly" (PDF). london.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
6. "London Elects" (PDF). www.londonelects.org.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
7. "London Assembly appoints new Chairs | London City Hall". www.london.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
8. "Petitions to Save Ealing & Central Middlesex Hospitals | Dr. Onkar Sahota | Working Hard for Ealing & Hillingdon". Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
9. "Ealing and Charing Cross A&E closure plans scrapped | BBC News". BBC News. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
10. "Austerity: overstretching our A&E departments | London City Hall". london.gov.uk. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
11. "Families hit out at London gasworks redevelopment". The guardian. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.