Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin

Manzila Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin, is a British life peer and community activist of Bangladeshi descent. Born in East Pakistan in 1959, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1973 and became a prominent figure in East London community work. She served as a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets before being appointed to the House of Lords in 1998, becoming the first Muslim and Asian woman to hold such a position. Throughout her career, she has focused on the advancement of women and disability rights. In 2010, she was suspended from the House of Lords following an expenses scandal, but she returned to the chamber in 2012 after repaying the claimed funds. She currently serves as a non-affiliated peer and remains active in various parliamentary groups.