Laila Cunningham: Muslim Lawyer of Egyptian Heritage to Run for London Mayor with Reform
In a move that could shake up the political landscape, the right-wing Reform Party has named Laila Cunningham – a Muslim lawyer and politician of Egyptian heritage – as its candidate for the London mayoral election in May 2028. If she runs, she will be the first Muslim woman of Arab descent to seek the role in Britain’s history.
Born in London to Egyptian parents who arrived in the 1960s, Cunningham grew up in the capital and went on to qualify as a criminal lawyer. She later served as a prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), handling high-profile cases including the trial of the man responsible for the Buckingham Palace gates attack. She resigned from the CPS in June 2025 after joining Reform, in line with civil service rules on political neutrality.
Outside the courtroom, Cunningham is a mother of seven, an entrepreneur and a community activist. She made headlines after chasing down a gang of thieves who targeted her children – earning her the nickname “Vigilant Mum” – and has since led initiatives to tackle crime and improve community safety.
Her selection has already prompted debate. Reform, led by Nigel Farage and known for its uncompromising stance on immigration and Islam, is now fronting a Muslim woman of Arab heritage. Supporters inside the party hail her as a “moderate Muslim mother” capable of reaching across different communities. Critics see the move as an exercise in image-management, with no sign of substantive policy change.
Cunningham has appeared alongside Farage to launch his summer anti-crime campaign, attracting visible support from senior party figures. Yet her rise follows a familiar pattern in British politics: figures such as Suella Braverman, Priti Patel and Zia Yusuf – all from migrant backgrounds – have climbed the ranks of far-right parties while backing measures widely viewed as hostile to immigrants and Muslims.
The question is whether Cunningham’s candidacy marks genuine political inclusion, or whether she is being used as a temporary figurehead to soften a hard-line message before being cast aside.
Either way, her emergence lays bare the contradictions of modern British politics – where the daughter of Muslim immigrants can rise to prominence in a party committed to slashing immigration and limiting the visibility of Islam in public life.
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You have incorrectly labelled Reform UK as ‘far-right’. They most definitely are not, and I suggest you do better research before criticising the most popular political party in the UK. Laila Cunningham has been welcomed by Reform because she actually shares the party’s beliefs. And she is not far-right, either. If you look at the UAE, they have a very strong stance on who they allow into their country. Reform has the same idea.
I have the surname Cunningham but I don’t think we are related. Then again you never know. Fork over fork, if you know you know.
She proclaims to be Muslim to fit her parties narrative but is far Islam or it’s teachings.
Suella Braverman and Priti Patel are members of the conservative party which, unlike Reform, is not far right.
Miss Cunningham is a beautiful lady
And loves her country .🇬🇧🇬🇧
Layla comes across well and the vigilante mum will be around with reform to get rid of the 2 party’s that have destroyed our country for years
Egyptians are not Arabs
Wow, what a lady, saw you on newsnight this evening for the very first time, Fantastic performance under extremely difficult circumstances. I’m an 80 year old white Christian and fully respect what I’ve just read about you and what you stand for, good luck in becoming Mayor of London, and hopefully one day PM. Xx I am a Reform member by the way.
You draw attention to “a familiar pattern in Brtitish politics” naming three figures as MPs with migrant backgrounds that “climbed the ranks of far right parties”. I am curious why you ignore, or chose not to include, comparison with those from migrant backgrounds that climbed the ranks in the Labour parliamentary party. There are ten female migrant MPs that climbed the ranks of Labour including Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, Zarah Sultana – now with Jeremy Corbin, and Tulip Siddiq now ex-minister in the Treasury. Might they perhaps meet with your approval?
A Sunni Muslim woman with 7 children sorry
I don’t believe it
Interesting perspective. A political movement is in motion in the UK and who knows where the momentum will take it. Should the citizens of the UK be concerned about Islam?