Munira Hassam[3] was born on 26 April 1978 in London[1] to parents of East African Indian heritage. Her parents were both born in Zanzibar. Her father went to study in Britain. Her mother, aged 21 and stateless, fled to Britain during the Zanzibar Revolution. They met in Britain.[4]
She grew up in London and attended Henrietta Barnett School, a state grammar school in north London. She then went on to study at St Catharine's College, Cambridge,[5] from 1996 to 2000, where she graduated with a degree in French and German,[5] including a year abroad as an English assistant in two secondary schools in southern France.
After graduation, Hassam trained as a tax consultant with Ernst & Young. She then switched to working for the Liberal Democrats, becoming the campaigns organiser for Sue Doughty and the Guildford Liberal Democrats in 2004–2005, ahead of Doughty losing her Guildford seat at the 2005 general election. She went on to work for newly elected MP Nick Clegg for the first six months of 2006.
Until her election to Parliament in 2019, Wilson worked for more than a decade as a lobbyist, first for Save the Children (2006–2008), then Beating Bowel Cancer (2008–2009), and Novartis (2009–2015), where she rose to become head of government affairs – pharmaceuticals. She then entered the public sector as a strategic account manager at NHS Digital from 2015 to 2016, before returning to lobbying from 2016 to 2019 as corporate affairs director, UK & Ireland for the German science and technology company Merck KGaA Darmstadt.[6]
Parliamentary career
Wilson was selected in 2019 to replace Vince Cable as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Twickenham. At the 2019 general election, Wilson was elected as MP for Twickenham with 56.1% of the vote and a majority of 14,121.[7] The Green Party in Twickenham had voted to stand aside to support Wilson.[8]
Wilson has opposed plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, and has worked to improve rail services in South West London.[9] Twickenham is on a flight path to Heathrow, and Wilson has stated that "We are absolutely 100% opposed to Heathrow expansion."[10] However, she supports the construction of HS2 high speed rail, saying that "HS2 is a vital project for reducing our carbon emissions and unlocking the economic potential of the North, but Ministers should not be given a blank cheque.".[11]
She was appointed Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care by acting leader Ed Davey in January 2020.[12]
In May 2021, alongside celebrities and other public figures, Wilson was a signatory to an open letter from Stylist magazine which called on the government to address what it described as an "epidemic of male violence" by funding an "ongoing, high-profile, expert-informed awareness campaign on men’s violence against women and girls".[13]
At the 2024 general election, WIlson was re-elected as MP for Twickenham with an increased vote share of 56.3% and an increased majority of 21,457.[15]
Personal life
Munira Hassam married Michael Robert Wilson at St Stephen's, Twickenham, in 2007.[5] They have a son and a daughter.[1] She was raised a Muslim and converted to Christianity.[16][17]
