Ayesha Hazarika, Baroness Hazarika

{{Short description|Scottish broadcaster and journalist (born 1975)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = The Baroness Hazarika

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}

| image = Official portrait of Baroness Hazarika crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| office = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

| term_start = 14 March 2024
Life peerage

| term_end =

| birth_name = Ayesha Yousef Hazarika

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1975|12|15}}

| birth_place = Bellshill Maternity Hospital, North Lanarkshire, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Labour

| spouse =

| children =

| education = Laurel Bank School

| alma_mater = University of Hull

| occupation = Broadcaster, journalist, former political adviser

}}

Ayesha Yousef Hazarika, Baroness Hazarika,{{cite web |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5024/career |title=Parliamentary career for Baroness Hazarika |website=MPs and Lords |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=2024-03-14}} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (born 15 December 1975) is a Scottish broadcaster, journalist and political commentator, and former political adviser to senior Labour Party politicians.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/ayesha-hazarika-labour-party-special-adviser-a7678471.html|title=Former Labour Party special adviser Ayesha Hazarika on swapping politics for stand-up comedy|last=Curle|first=Michael|date=12 April 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=31 October 2017}}

Early life

Hazarika was born in Bellshill Maternity Hospital, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, to Indian Muslim parents who immigrated from Assam, and was raised in Coatbridge.{{Cite news|last=Rifkind|first=Hugo|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/scotland-travel/edinburgh/a-comedian-daughter-is-just-no-joke-3flt58pkjdv|title=A comedian daughter is just no joke|date=5 June 2005|work=The Times|access-date=27 March 2024}} She was educated at Laurel Bank, an all-girls private school in Glasgow,{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12485002.life-lines-asian-comedian-ayesha-hazarika-knows-what-lifes-like-at-the-sharp-end-on-stage-and-in-government/|title=Life lines Asian comedian Ayesha Hazarika knows what life's like at the sharp end: on stage and in government|date=23 July 2005|website=The Herald|location=Glasgow|access-date=31 October 2017}} and studied law at the University of Hull. Hazarika had planned to become a solicitor before deciding instead to train as a journalist.

Comedy

While working as a press officer at the Department of Trade and Industry, Hazarika was persuaded by a friend to take a comedy course run by comedian Logan Murray.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jul/06/ayesha-hazarika-labour-best-drinker|title=Ayesha Hazarika: 'Labour's best drinker? They're so good at it, I couldn't say'|last=Hattenstone|first=Simon|date=6 July 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=31 October 2017|issn=0261-3077}} She began to perform paid comedy gigs alongside her day job at the DTI. In 2003, Hazarika was a semi-finalist in the Channel 4 stand-up comedy competition So You Think You're Funny,{{Cite web|url=http://comedycv.co.uk/ayeshahazarika/index.htm|title=comedy cv – the UK's largest collection of comedians biogs and photos|website=comedycv.co.uk|access-date=31 October 2017}} but chose to focus on her work as a political adviser.

After leaving politics, Hazarika performed a stand-up show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016, inspired by her time in politics.{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/ayesha-hazarika-why-standing-up-as-a-feminist-can-be-a-funny-old-business-a3216286.html|title=Ayesha Hazarika: Why standing up as a feminist can be a funny business|date=1 April 2016|work=London Evening Standard|access-date=31 October 2017}} The following show, she tried again with a new show, State of the Nation, in Edinburgh.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/comedy-review-ayesha-hazarika-state-of-the-nation-1442272|title=Comedy review: Ayesha Hazarika: State of the Nation|date=17 August 2017|website=The Scotsman|access-date=31 October 2017}} In December 2018, Hazarika appeared on series 56 episode 10 of Have I Got News for You as Ian Hislop's teammate,{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bvgwqt|title=BBC One – Have I Got News for You, Series 56, Episode 10|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 December 2018}} a role she reprised in May 2020 during the "Lockdown" series.{{Cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/have-i-got-news-for-you-new-series-bbc-one-coronavirus-lockdown-video-conference-414175|title=Have I Got News For You lockdown return 'like a more elaborate video-conference'|last=Sherwin|first=Adam|date=3 April 2020|website=inews.co.uk}}

Political adviser and commentator

From 2007 to 2015, Hazarika served as a political adviser to senior Labour Party figures, including Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband, including during the 2010 and 2015 general elections. After leaving her role working for Harman in the aftermath of the 2015 general election, Hazarika was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for political service.{{London Gazette|date=31 December 2015|issue=61450|page=N20|supp=y}} It was reported at the time that Harman had proposed Hazarika for a life peerage, but Miliband instead elevated another former adviser (Spencer Livermore) to the House of Lords.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/new-years-honours-almost-30-tory-party-members-or-supporters-receive-awards-amid-accusations-of-a6791366.html|title=Almost 30 Tory Party members or supporters have received New Year's Honours|last=McSmith|first=Andy|date=30 December 2015|work=The Independent|access-date=31 October 2017}}

Describing herself as a "moderate" within the Labour Party,{{Cite web|last=Hazarika|first=Ayesha|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/ayesha-hazarika-everything-in-moderation-except-in-the-party-of-victorious-corbynites-1-4570742|title=Ayesha Hazarika: Everything in moderation – except in the party of victorious Corbynites|date=27 September 2017|website=The Scotsman|access-date=31 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927094133/http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/ayesha-hazarika-everything-in-moderation-except-in-the-party-of-victorious-corbynites-1-4570742|archive-date=27 September 2017}} Hazarika urged Jeremy Corbyn to resign after the Copeland by-election in early 2017. Following the 2017 general election, in which Labour gained seats, she acknowledged that she had "got it wrong on Corbyn", and urged her "fellow Labour colleagues to acknowledge Corbyn's success and to try to find peace with him".{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/09/wrong-about-jeremy-corbyn-labour-seats-party-unite|title=I admit it: I was wrong about Jeremy Corbyn|last=Hazarika|first=Ayesha|date=9 June 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=31 October 2017|issn=0261-3077}}

After departing Westminster, Hazarika tried standup and provides commentary in the media. She has written columns for The Scotsman{{Cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/author/ayesha.hazarika1|title=Author – Ayesha Hazarika|website=The Scotsman|access-date=31 October 2017}} and the Evening Standard.{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/author/ayesha-hazarika|title=Ayesha Hazarika|work=London Evening Standard|access-date=31 October 2017}}

In 2017, commentator Iain Dale put her at 75 on his list of the "100 Most Influential People on the Left".{{Cite news|url=http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/iain-dale/100-most-influential-people-on-the-left-iain-dale/|title=The 100 Most Influential People on the Left: Iain Dale's 2017 List|last=Dale|first=Iain|date=25 September 2017|work=LBC|access-date=1 November 2017}}

In 2018, she co-authored a book Punch and Judy Politics: An Insiders' Guide to Prime Minister’s Questions with fellow Labour speechwriter and special adviser Tom Hamilton.

In June 2020, she was one of the launch presenters of the Times Radio digital radio station, presenting Saturday and Sunday drivetime shows.{{Cite news|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/06/launch-date-and-schedule-revealed-for-times-radio/|title=Launch date and schedule revealed for Times Radio|work=RadioToday|last=Lerone|first=Toby|date=2 June 2020|access-date=3 June 2020}}

Hazarika was nominated for a life peerage by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer{{cite web|last=Walker|first=Peter|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/09/major-tory-donor-among-13-new-peers-named-in-honours-list|title=Major Tory donor among 13 new peers named in honours list|work=The Guardian|date=9 February 2024|access-date=12 February 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2024|title=Political Peerages 2024|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street|date=2024-02-09|access-date=2024-03-11}} and was created Baroness Hazarika, of Coatbridge in the County of Lanarkshire, on 14 March 2024.{{London Gazette|date=19 March 2024|issue=64348|page=5510}}