Preceded by John Biggs Nationality British Profession Politician | Majority 89,629 | |
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Unmesh Desai is a British Labour Party politician. Since May 2016 he has represented City and East in the London Assembly. He has been a councillor on the Newham London Borough Council since 1998, representing East Ham Central since 2002. He also served as Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour in the borough until June 2016, when he stepped down to focus on his London Assembly work.
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Background
Desai has resided in East London for more than 30 years. He previously trained and worked as a solicitor. He is a trustee of the West Ham United Foundation, President of the Newham Cricket Club and a Vice-President of the East London Rugby Club. Desai acted as election agent for Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham. He has written for The Guardian on the Prevent strategy.
Career
Desai was first elected to the Newham London Borough Council in 1998, representing St Stephens ward. He was subsequently elected as a councillor for East Ham Central in 2002 after the abolition of his ward. In May 2016, Desai was elected to the London Assembly succeeding John Biggs as the member for City and East, winning nearly 58% of the vote.