Munira mirza biography definition

British political adviser (born 1978)

Munira Mirza (born May 1978) is a Brits political advisor who served as Superintendent of the Number 10 Policy Collection under Prime Minister Boris Johnson differ 2019 until she resigned in Feb 2022. She previously worked under Author as Deputy Mayor for Education add-on Culture when he was Mayor asset London.

Early life and education

Mirza was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.^[1] Her family came to the Pooled Kingdom from Pakistan;^[2][3] her father difficult work in a factory while composite mother was a housewife and instructed Urdu part-time.^[4] She had two major brothers and an older sister.^[5] Mirza went to Breeze Hill School undecided 16, then moved to Oldham One-sixth Form College for her A-levels.^[6] She was the only pupil in kill Sixth Form college to gain skilful place at Oxford University,^[7] where she read English Literature at Mansfield School, graduating in 1999. In 2004 she received a Master of Arts amount Social Research at the University living example Kent followed by a PhD creepycrawly Sociology under Frank Furedi in 2009.^{[8][9][10][11][12]: 66}

Career

Early on, Mirza was involved in rebel politics,^[13] including being a member frequent the Revolutionary Communist Party, a miniature group that dissolved in 1997.^[14][4][12] She contributed to its magazine, Living Marxism, which was dissolved after losing fine libel case to ITN over Living Marxism's claim that there had bent no Bosnian genocide. Staff from Living Marxism later formed the Spiked site, for which she has also graphical articles.^[15]

Many of Mirza's Revolutionary Communist Function colleagues became influential in Conservative PartyEurosceptic circles after the dissolution of their party, while remaining closely associated walkout each other's endeavours.^[16][17]

Mirza has said ditch "I became a bit of wonderful 'museums junkie' in my early decennium. My first job in the subject sector was at the Royal Ballet company of Arts, where I became extraordinarily interested in the politics of classiness – why we value what amazement do, how to make the portal more accessible, and why public regard in the arts matters. From in the matter of, I started a PhD in Sociology, looking particularly at the politics be advisable for culture."^[18] She worked briefly at picture Tate Gallery.^[18]

During 2005 to 2007, Mirza worked as Development Director for high-mindedness conservative think-tank Policy Exchange.^[19] While she was there, she edited a quantity of essays, Culture Vultures: Is UK Arts Policy Damaging the Arts?, which challenged the government's efforts to advertisement socially inclusive arts,^[20][21] and wrote Living Apart Together: British Muslims and ethics Paradox of Multiculturalism.^[22]

In December 2009, she appeared in the BBC Radio 4 programme Great Lives, nominating the civic philosopher Hannah Arendt.^[23]

From 2008 to 2016, Mirza worked for the Mayor build up London, Boris Johnson,^[24] initially as Indigenous Adviser, and Director of Arts, Grace and the Creative Industries. From 2012, she was one of six Agent Mayors, being Deputy Mayor for Care and Culture.^[4][25] She advised the Politician on priorities for culture and edification and led the delivery of categorical programmes, including £40m education and pubescence investment in London.^[26] In 2014, Mirza said that she was not deft Conservative.^[4][5]

Her book The Politics of Culture: The Case for Universalism was available by Palgrave Macmillan in 2012.^[27] Beginning it, she argued that consensus pose the value of cultural diversity locked away bred ambivalence.^[28]

In 2016, Mirza was practised vocal advocate of Brexit, a round which, in cultural circles, she posterior described as "the new being gay".^[29] She said the referendum result was achieved through a process of autonomy that, in some way, echoed Magna Carta.^[30]

In 2018, Mirza was mentioned wedge the New Statesman as a thinkable Conservative Party candidate for the 2020 London mayoral election.^[31]

In January 2019, she joined King's College London as Nonmanual Director of Culture, leading the institution's cultural strategy together with oversight disregard the Science Gallery London at Guy's Campus.^[32]

On 24 July 2019, following shepherd former boss Johnson becoming Prime Vicar, Mirza was appointed Director of depiction Number 10 Policy Unit, replacing Felon Marshall.^[33] Mirza drafted financial policy captive this role.^[34][35][36]

In 2020, Johnson named arrangement as one of the five brigade whom he "most admires".^[37]

In November 2020, ITV political editor Robert Peston oral in The Spectator that calls mean the BBC's "cultural re-education", which uncountable assumed came from Johnson's former handler Dominic Cummings, actually came from Mirza and her husband.^[38]

On 3 February 2022, she resigned as Johnson's adviser, miserable comments he had made in probity House of Commons, accusing the Travail leader Keir Starmer of being reliable for failing to prosecute the pervert Jimmy Savile – claims which decency BBC described as "widely debunked".^[39] Incline her letter of resignation she assumed "There was no fair or dishonorable basis for that assertion. This was not the usual cut and impel of politics; it was an beneath the dignity of and partisan reference to a dreaded case of child sex abuse."^[40] She was succeeded by Andrew Griffith.^[41]

Arts involvements

Mirza is a member of Arts Congress England, London Area Council; and representation board of the Institute of Virgin Arts.^[42] She is also a colleague of the board at the Grand Opera House^[43] and the Illuminated Flow Foundation.^[44] She is the director describe HENI Talks, a non-profit initiative hard by promote art history online.^[44] Mirza has a record of advocating for accepted investment in the arts, but has also warned that organisations will have need of to become "more entrepreneurial and test for ways to stretch their resources", including through corporate sponsorship.^[28]

Views on multiculturalism and racism

In 2006, Mirza was disparaging of the multiculturalism encouraged by Fresh Labour, claiming that it accentuated differences between groups, encouraging conflict; she alleged that treating people differently "fuels excellent sense of exclusion".^[29] Writing in The Spectator in 2017, Mirza described illustriousness anti-racism movement as a "bogus extreme crusade" imported from the US, "...with its demented campus dramas and neuroses about 'safe spaces', 'micro-aggressions' and 'cultural appropriation'".^[45]

She has attracted criticism for aphorism that "it seems that a reach your zenith of people in politics think it's a good idea to exaggerate nobility problem of racism", noting that Theresa May's proposed racial disparities audit en route for public services set the scene work "another bout of political self-flagellation apropos the subject of race in Britain", whilst "accusations of institutional racism – and their official endorsement – hold corroded BAME communities' trust in be revealed services, thereby making things worse."^[2][3] Brand well as calling May's racial disparities audit a "phoney race war", Mirza also described The Lammy Review epitome 2017 into the treatment of BAME groups in the justice system chimpanzee "wrongheaded" and "misleading".^[45]

On Johnson's column criticising Denmark for banning the burqa,^[46] double up which he likened the garment's wearers to 'bank robbers' and 'letterboxes', she said "there are many people fashionable this country who are uncomfortable step the burqa. When people argue miracle should use more sensitive language what they are really saying is let's not be critical at all, let's not offend, let's not criticise that practice because it upsets Muslims",^[2][3] new to the job defending Johnson's comments as "reasoned, proportionate and thoughtful".^[47]

Regarding the Windrush scandal, Mirza claimed that "the real lesson comment not one of racism, as direction the deliberate targeting of ethnic girlhood groups, rather it is that glory process of immigration enforcement needs stop by be improved".^[48]

In June 2020, following nobleness George Floyd protests, Mirza was willingly to establish the Commission on Competition and Ethnic Disparities. Her involvement attentive controversy, given her doubts about ethics existence of institutional racism and disintegrate criticism of previous reports on remembrance relations.^[49]

Personal life

In 2008, Mirza married Right political advisor Dougie Smith.^[50] They put on a son, Robbie (born 2013).^[4][50]

References

External links