Poplar and Limehouse.

One of Labour's more rebellious MPs right now, Apsana Begum broke with her party three times on a single day in April 2026 -- voting against two sets of government regulations that would strip asylum seekers of housing and financial support, and backing a motion to refer Prime Minister Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Peter Mandelson appointment. She had previously voted against the government's university tuition fee rise in March. With an 85.8% party alignment rate, she is noticeably less loyal than the average Labour backbencher, and her deviations follow a consistent pattern: she is almost always pulling left, not right.

Her parliamentary record reflects that orientation. She votes at 71% participation -- below the Commons average -- but her stance profile is distinctive: she scores 100% on asylum seeker rights and disability benefits protection, against just 1% and 12% for her party respectively, and she has consistently opposed welfare cuts. She lost the Labour whip after earlier rebellions and had it restored in October 2025, reportedly after the government reversed course on the two-child benefit cap -- a policy she had campaigned against since 2019. Her 84 contributions span social care, defence, crime, and immigration, suggesting broad engagement rather than narrow specialism.

The context worth knowing: Begum stood trial in 2021 on housing fraud charges, which were dismissed; local coverage at the time was sharply negative, though more recent reporting frames her as a principled advocate for constituents in one of London's most deprived areas. She holds no committee seats. Recent news sentiment across 49 articles over 90 days is broadly neutral, with health coverage slightly more positive. Voting data is available from December 2019 onwards.