Labour Party MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney.
Rushanara Ali resigned as Homelessness Minister in August 2025 after reports that she had evicted tenants and raised rents by around £700 a month — a direct contradiction of the anti-exploitation housing policies she was responsible for promoting. The controversy generated heavily negative national coverage across the BBC, Sky News, and others, with her position described as "untenable." Since returning to the backbenches, she has been most visible on the assisted dying debate: in June 2025 she voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at Third Reading, against a palliative care reporting amendment, and against an amendment expanding disability recording requirements — placing her among the bill's opponents despite most Labour MPs supporting it.
At 85% voting participation and 97.9% party alignment, she is an engaged and largely loyal MP — but the assisted dying votes show she will break with Labour on conscience issues. Her speeches concentrate on housing (26 debates), local government (37), social care, and cost of living: topics that track her constituency's pressures in Bethnal Green and Stepney, one of London's most deprived areas. Her stance profile shows strong alignment on workers' rights and progressive taxation, but low scores on civil liberties (17%) and parliamentary scrutiny (22%), suggesting she prioritises government delivery over procedural challenge.
She sits on the Work and Pensions Committee, giving her a formal oversight role on welfare. Her deviation from Labour's average on assisted dying is the sharpest in her data — 44 percentage points below the party on supporting access. News sentiment over the past 90 days is neutral overall across 36 articles, though the housing scandal remains the dominant recent story defining her public standing.
Rushanara Ali is the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.
Top eight by total divisions voted, this parliament. Volume measures engagement, not direction — see Notable Votes for free-vote moments and rebellions.
Source · The Public Whip · Hansard
Moments where the whip was free, or where Ali broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
| Date | Bill / motion | Vote | Whip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 12 | Yes | Freevs party |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 77 | No | Freevs party |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 94 | No | Freevs party |
Source · Hansard
“The Labour Government has disappointed by imposing no new sanctions since 2024; the UK must join allies in sanctioning Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, Myanmar Mytel, and the jet fue…”
“The scandal parallels the Post Office Horizon scandal; the DWP should implement regular audits as recommended, and current overpayment recovery policies must be paused rather than …”
“Welcomed the package and pressed for more support for disabled young people, highlighting backlogs in the Access to Work programme.”
“Strong support for the Bill as necessary to rebuild trust in democracy, protect candidates from harassment, introduce 'know your donor' checks, and bring votes to 16; emphasizes th…”
Select, joint and other committees Ali currently sits on. Committee work is where much of the line-by-line scrutiny of bills and departments happens, away from the chamber.
| Committee | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Work and Pensions Committee | Member | Select |
Source · UK Parliament Committees API
Committee seats are where backbenchers shape legislation and hold departments to account. Ali sits on one.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 10 | 83.3% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2 | 16.7% |
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what efforts the United Kingdom is making to encourage the government of Ukraine to co-operate with international anti-trafficking organisations to identify and screen potent
Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its illegal war against Ukraine is deeply concerning. The UK condemns any deception, coercion or trafficking linked to Russia's war effort and is working with partners to expose these pr…read full →
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is her assessment of the scale of forced recruitment and human trafficking of foreign nationals to Russia to fight in the Russian Armed Forces in the war in Ukraine, and
Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its illegal war against Ukraine is deeply concerning. The UK condemns any deception, coercion or trafficking linked to Russia's war effort and is working with partners to expose these pr…read full →
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is her assessment of the potential implications for her policies of a new report by Fortify Rights and Truth Hounds, titled I Was Tricked Into War: The Risk of Human Tra
Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its illegal war against Ukraine is deeply concerning. The UK condemns any deception, coercion or trafficking linked to Russia's war effort and is working with partners to expose these pr…read full →
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the inauguration of General Min Aung Hlaing as President of Myanmar; and whether the UK recognises (a) his presidency, (b) the government and (c) the parliament.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 April in response to Question HL16049, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:The UK continues to use its penholder role at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to shine a spotlight…read full →
Doha Forum Name of donor: Doha Forum
Address of donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Almirqab Tower, West Bay, Doha Qatar
Estimate of the probable val… |
Type of land/property: Residential property
Type of land/property: Residential property
Number of properties: 1
Location: London
Interest held: from 7 September 2020
Ownership deta… |
Type of land/property: Residential property
Type of land/property: Residential property
Number of properties: 2
Location: London
Rental income: Yes
(Registered 16 September 2014) |
A Governor (and a Member of the Council of Management until 27/09/24) of The Dit A Governor (and a Member of the Council of Management until 27/09/24) of The Ditchley Foundation, an organisation that helps sustain peace, … |
A Trustee of the Sisters Trust, a registered charity that makes donations to org A Trustee of the Sisters Trust, a registered charity that makes donations to organisations committed to challenging racial and sexual inequa… |
Source · Members API · Last amended 6 Jan 2026
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 268,550 | 82.5% |
| Office Costs | 33,434 | 10.3% |
| Miscellaneous | 23,466 | 7.2% |
| Total · 82 claims | 325,450 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Ali on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bethnal Green and Stepney | 15,896 | 34.1% | Won |
| 2019 | Bethnal Green and Bow | 44,052 | 72.7% | Won |
| 2017 | Bethnal Green and Bow | 42,969 | 71.8% | Won |
| 2015 | Bethnal Green and Bow | 32,387 | 61.2% | Won |
| 2010 | Bethnal Green and Bow | 21,784 | 42.9% | Won |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushanara AliWON | Lab | 15,896 | 34.1 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Bethnal Green and Stepney →