Murad Qureshi
Encyclopedia
Murad Qureshi is a British
Labour Party
politician, and a Member of the London Assembly
.
, Cheshire
, but he was brought up in Westminster
, London
, when his parents moved in July 1965. He attended Quintin Kynaston School
and graduated from the University of East Anglia
before undertaking an MSc in Environmental Economics at University College London
.
Of Bangladeshi
descent, he comes from a politically active family: his late father Mushtaq Qureshi was a Labour Party councillor in the City of Westminster
, as is his sister Papya Qureshi.
Before becoming an Assembly Member, he worked in Housing and Regeneration for 15 years, helping establish housing association
s and co-ops
in the East End
.
He was an Executive Committee member of SERA
from 1994 to 2000.
from 1998 to 2006, was elected on the Labour Party's party list to the London Assembly
in the 2004 Assembly election
and was re-elected in the 2008 election
.
He has been described as "the only Muslim member" of the London Assembly, although he supports Amartya Sen's
theory of plural identities and has criticised the practice of individuals "defining themselves simply by their religion, without taking into account other key aspects of their identity".
He is Chair of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, Member of the Budget and Performance Committee, Member of the Standards Committee, Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
, which oversees the London Fire Brigade
, and Chair of the Mayor's London Waterways Commission.
As an Assembly Member he has undertaken rapporteurships into pedicabs (cycle rickshaws) and the loss of London's playing fields. The latter report called for Sport England
to be consulted on all applications for developments on playing fields measuring 0.2 hectares or more, a policy which has since been adopted by the Department for Communities and Local Government
.
cricket in the 2012 Olympic Games, a proposal which has received the backing of the London Assembly
, and he has advocated the use of blue lines to mark the courses of London's underground rivers.
He has called for Edgware Road tube station (Bakerloo Line)
to be renamed Church Street Market, as this would end the confusion between that station and the namesake station
on the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.
He has worked to raise awareness of the crucial role of remittances
in international development
.
In 2007 he hosted a meeting at City Hall
which launched the Cambridge
IGCSEs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India Studies.
He closely follows political developments in South Asia
and was in Bangladesh
for the parliamentary elections in December 2008.
He is Chair of Capital SERA, the London branch of SERA
.
He contributes regular columns to the China Daily
and Tribune
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, and a Member of the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
.
Background
Qureshi was born in May 1965 in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, but he was brought up in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, when his parents moved in July 1965. He attended Quintin Kynaston School
Quintin Kynaston School
Quintin Kynaston is a local comprehensive secondary school in the St John's Wood area of north London. It became a Specialist Technology College in 2001. The school intends to become an academy in September 2011.-Admissions:...
and graduated from the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
before undertaking an MSc in Environmental Economics at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Of Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshi
A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin who resides in the United Kingdom having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis...
descent, he comes from a politically active family: his late father Mushtaq Qureshi was a Labour Party councillor in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, as is his sister Papya Qureshi.
Before becoming an Assembly Member, he worked in Housing and Regeneration for 15 years, helping establish housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
s and co-ops
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
in the East End
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
.
He was an Executive Committee member of SERA
Socialist Environment and Resources Association
The Socialist Environment and Resources Association , founded in 1973, is an independent environmental association affiliated to the UK Labour Party as a socialist society. More recently it has used the name 'SERA - the Labour Environment Campaign', rather than its full name.SERA campaigns to...
from 1994 to 2000.
Political career
He was a councillor in the City of WestminsterCity of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
from 1998 to 2006, was elected on the Labour Party's party list to the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
in the 2004 Assembly election
London Assembly election, 2004
An election to the Assembly of London took place on 10 June 2004, along with the London mayoral election, 2004.The Assembly is elected by the Additional Member System. There are fourteen directly elected constituencies, nine of which were won by the Conservatives and five by the Labour Party...
and was re-elected in the 2008 election
London Assembly election, 2008
An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May 2008, along with the London mayoral election, 2008. The Conservatives gained 2 seats, Labour gained one seat, the Liberal Democrats lost two seats, and United Kingdom Independence Party or One London as they became were wiped out...
.
He has been described as "the only Muslim member" of the London Assembly, although he supports Amartya Sen's
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
theory of plural identities and has criticised the practice of individuals "defining themselves simply by their religion, without taking into account other key aspects of their identity".
He is Chair of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, Member of the Budget and Performance Committee, Member of the Standards Committee, Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority is a functional body of the Greater London Authority and was established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose is to run the London Fire Brigade....
, which oversees the London Fire Brigade
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
, and Chair of the Mayor's London Waterways Commission.
As an Assembly Member he has undertaken rapporteurships into pedicabs (cycle rickshaws) and the loss of London's playing fields. The latter report called for Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
to be consulted on all applications for developments on playing fields measuring 0.2 hectares or more, a policy which has since been adopted by the Department for Communities and Local Government
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
.
Campaigns and activities
Among current campaigns he is calling for the inclusion of Twenty20Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket in the 2012 Olympic Games, a proposal which has received the backing of the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
, and he has advocated the use of blue lines to mark the courses of London's underground rivers.
He has called for Edgware Road tube station (Bakerloo Line)
Edgware Road tube station (Bakerloo Line)
Edgware Road is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. It is served by the Bakerloo line and is between Paddington and Marylebone stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1. The station is located on the north-east corner of the junction of Edgware Road, Harrow Road and Marylebone Road...
to be renamed Church Street Market, as this would end the confusion between that station and the namesake station
Edgware Road tube station
Edgware Road station is a London Underground station on the corner of Chapel Street and Cabbell Street Road in Travelcard Zone 1 serving the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. The separate Edgware Road tube station is about 150 metres away on the opposite side of the Marylebone Road...
on the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.
He has worked to raise awareness of the crucial role of remittances
Remittances
A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to his or her home country. Note that in 19th century usage a remittance man was someone exiled overseas and sent an allowance on condition that he not return home....
in international development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
.
In 2007 he hosted a meeting at City Hall
City Hall (London)
City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge...
which launched the Cambridge
Cambridge International Examinations
University of Cambridge International Examinations is a provider of international qualifications for students between the ages of 14 and 19, offering examinations and qualifications in more than 150 countries. It is an Examination Board under Cambridge Assessment, founded in 1858 as a department...
IGCSEs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India Studies.
He closely follows political developments in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and was in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
for the parliamentary elections in December 2008.
He is Chair of Capital SERA, the London branch of SERA
Socialist Environment and Resources Association
The Socialist Environment and Resources Association , founded in 1973, is an independent environmental association affiliated to the UK Labour Party as a socialist society. More recently it has used the name 'SERA - the Labour Environment Campaign', rather than its full name.SERA campaigns to...
.
He contributes regular columns to the China Daily
China Daily
The China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...
and Tribune
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
.
External links
- http://www.muradqureshi.com Murad Qureshi's website
- http://blog.muradqureshi.com Murad Qureshi's blog
- Biography from the London Assembly