Tulip Siddiq’s maiden speech in Parliament has been judged one of the top seven from this year’s intake of MPs by the BBC.
The Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn used her first address to the House of Commons to praise the safe haven Britain has historically offered to refugees and asylum seekers during a debate on the European Union Referendum Bill.
During her speech, Ms Siddiq referred to her constituency as a “melting pot of multi-culturalism” and said she believed the subject of immigration was close to the hearts of many people in Hampstead and Kilburn.
She spoke of how her mother and aunt had been welcomed by Britain in the 1970s after 19 members of their family were assassinated in Bangladesh, where their father was Prime Minister.
Ms Siddiq also praised the literary and cultural tradition of Hampstead in the speech, and said the political history of the area showed that “affluence and social conscience went hand in hand”.
Other MPs named in the top seven were Mhairie Black and Martin Docherty, both of the SNP, Labour’s Angela Rayner, and three Conservatives, Johnny Mercer, Nusrat Ghani and Heidi Allen.
Ms Siddiq said on Twitter that she was “very proud” to be mentioned amongst such esteemed company by the BBC.
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