Rupa Asha Huq is a British Labour MP, columnist and academic.
33 Facts About Rupa Huq
2.
Rupa Huq's father came from Maksedpur in Pabna city and her mother from Kuthipara in Pabna city.
3.
Rupa Huq's father was training to become an actuary for Prudential, but gave that up to open an Indian restaurant in Soho, London.
4.
Rupa Huq opened another restaurant in Harrow and later retired.
5.
In 1980, at the age of eight, Rupa Huq was featured in the BBC Schools programme Look and Read when the programme visited the school.
6.
From September 2004 until 2015, Rupa Huq was a senior lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
7.
Rupa Huq has contributed to Tribune, The Guardian, New Statesman, Progress magazine and The Times Higher Education Supplement.
8.
Rupa Huq has appeared on Channel S and Bangla TV as well as Channel 4 News and BBC News 24.
9.
Rupa Huq says that she has been a part-time DJ, saying in 2004, "I first started DJing for a hospital radio station when I was about 17 and now I DJ in clubs and bars in Manchester".
10.
Rupa Huq was a researcher for Tony Banks and Patricia Hewitt.
11.
In 2010, Rupa Huq was one of three Labour candidates standing for a council seat in Walpole in the constituency of Ealing.
12.
In November 2013, Rupa Huq was chosen by Labour as their prospective parliamentary candidate for Ealing Central and Acton constituency to challenge Conservative MP Angie Bray at the 2015 general election.
13.
In May 2015, Rupa Huq won the Ealing Central and Acton seat with a 274 majority.
14.
Rupa Huq has made quite prominent statements on proportional representation and Heathrow, as well as climate change and environmental issues in regards to Brexit.
15.
Rupa Huq was appointed vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Music Group and All-Party Parliamentary on Crossrail.
16.
Since her election, Rupa Huq has been a member of the Justice Select Committee.
17.
In October 2016, Rupa Huq was appointed as a member of the Shadow Home Affairs team in the Labour Party's frontbench in Parliament.
18.
Rupa Huq is Shadow Home Office Minister for Crime Prevention.
19.
Rupa Huq led from the frontbench on the bill before the House of Commons to equalise Civil Partnerships to include heterosexual couples.
20.
Rupa Huq has been a member of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee since March 2022.
21.
Rupa Huq supported Owen Smith in his unsuccessful attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.
22.
Rupa Huq nominated Keir Starmer as a candidate in the 2020 Labour leadership election.
23.
Rupa Huq stressed the fact that Shah's comments were made before she became an MP and that some online comments should not be taken seriously.
24.
Rupa Huq later apologised, saying she was not "fully aware" of Shah's comments before defending her.
25.
Rupa Huq specifically criticised the BBC comedy Citizen Khans "Islamophobic" depiction of a "quite backward" family of Muslims.
26.
In March 2018, Rupa Huq received a suspicious package containing an anti-Islamic letter and sticky liquid.
27.
In May 2018, Rupa Huq told colleagues in Westminster Hall that BAME MPs regularly have their access to the House of Commons estate questioned.
28.
In June 2019, Rupa Huq was the subject of formal complaints to the Labour Party by two former employees for alleged anti-Semitic behaviour.
29.
Rupa Huq had resigned from Labour Friends of Israel shortly before the allegations were made.
30.
In September 2022, Rupa Huq was accused of making racist comments during a speech at a Labour Party fringe event running parallel to the party conference.
31.
Rupa Huq went on to tweet an apology, but the suspension still remained in place.
32.
Rupa Huq's elder sister is an architect, and her younger sister is former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq; her brother-in-law is Konnie Huq's husband, the satirist and screenwriter Charlie Brooker.
33.
Rupa Huq's father died on 5 September 2014, and her mother on 21 May 2017.