In a statement posted on Twitter, Apsana Begum, a Poplar and Limehouse MP in east London from 2019, said she had to go to the hospital on June 12 and had since been treated by a doctor. She said her office staff would continue to work in the constituency, adding: “I will see you all as soon as I get better.” He wrote: “During my tenure as a Member of Parliament he suffered a constant campaign of half-hearted abuse and harassment.” This was “particularly painful and difficult” as she has survived domestic abuse, Begum added. “This abusive campaign had a significant impact on my mental and physical health,” he said. This meant that he could no longer participate in a voting process – a Labor process in which local parties and affiliated groups decide whether an incumbent MP should run in the next general election by default or whether the constituency should have a full re-election process. The push for a ballot at the Poplar and Limehouse has reportedly led local members to complain to the party headquarters about how it was conducted, with complaints of harassment and intimidation and harassment of women. In a statement, Begum made it clear that she felt the party could have done more to help her: “I am very concerned about the broader circumstances surrounding the voting process. “This includes allegations of alleged misconduct and alleged half-hearted intimidation. It is vital that the party properly investigates these allegations and takes appropriate action. “If the Labor Party wants to be the party of equality, it must do everything it can to ensure that such behavior is never tolerated.” Begum’s previous experience of domestic abuse came when she was acquitted last year of fraud for allegedly withholding information about her circumstances in order to obtain social housing. Tower Hamlets board said Begum did not notify her when she moved in with her partner. The MP said that she had informed the council for tax reasons, that she was in a difficult personal period due to family reasons and that her “controlled and forced” partner Ehtashamul Haque had taken over her affairs. In a statement following her acquittal, Begum said her case had caused great distress.
