| Natasha Asghar | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MS |
| Birth Date: | October 1983 [1] |
| Birth Place: | Newport, Wales |
| Office: | Shadow Minister for Transport |
| Leader: | Andrew RT Davies |
| Predecessor: | Russell George |
| Termstart: | 27 May 2021 |
| Office2: | Member of the Senedd for South Wales East |
| Termstart2: | 8 May 2021 |
| Party: | Welsh Conservatives |
| Otherparty: | Plaid Cymru (until 2009) |
| Nationality: | British |
Natasha Asghar is a Welsh Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of the Senedd for the South Wales East region and Shadow Minister for Transport since 2021. Her father Mohammad Asghar represented the same constituency until his death in 2020.[2] She is the first female ethnic minority member of the Senedd. She stood for the Conservative Party's nomination for Mayor of London in the 2024 mayoral election, but was not shortlisted.
Asghar stood as a Plaid Cymru candidate in the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election in Blaenau Gwent[3] and for the Wales seat in the 2009 European elections.[4]
She joined Conservative party on 8 December 2009 at the same time as her father, Mohammad Asghar.[5] [6] She said “For me, family is everything. I believe in my father. Wherever he goes I will follow.’’[7] At the time of Mohammad Asghar's defection, it was alleged that he left in part due to the party barring him from hiring her.[8] [9] She was hired as a member of his support staff in the Senedd in 2010.
She unsuccessfully contested Torfaen at the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election[10] and Newport East at the 2015 and 2017 UK Parliament elections as a Conservative.[11]
She was elected to the Senedd at the 2021 Senedd election to represent South Wales East. She became the first female ethnic minority candidate to be elected as an MS.[12] Shortly after she was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport.[13]
As Shadow Transport Minister, she supported the creation of an All Wales Travel Card similar to the Oyster card in London.[14] She also led the Welsh Conservative's approach to criticising the reduction of 30mph speed limit zones to 20 miles per hour.[15] In May 2024, it was announced Asghar was under review by the Senedd Standards Commissioner for her description of the 20mph limit as "blanket".[16] In September 2024, the Senedd Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain stated that this was a breach of the Senedd's code of conduct.[17] [18] Asghar stated she would "make absolutely no apology" for her description of the policy. On 25 September, Asghar was formally reprimanded by the Senedd authorities for calling Wales' 20 mph speed limit a "blanket" policy on social media, while signing off a report advising her party to refrain from using the term.[19] In October 2024, she posted images of herself attending a protest against the 20mph policy on the steps of the Senedd, which involved heavy use of blankets, and allegedly strangled an effigy of Lee Waters, the Minister behind the policy.[20] When asked if this was a protest against her censure, she said “I’m hoping now we’re in winter, blankets will be a regular feature at these important gatherings.”
On 22 May 2023, Asghar announced that she would be standing for the Conservative Party's nomination for Mayor of London ahead of the 2024 London mayoral election.[21] She announced her decision via a video on Twitter. She had previously been a London resident for 20 years before moving to Wales.[22] On 12 June it was announced that her bid to become a potential candidate for the London mayoralty had failed when her name did not appear on the party's shortlist of three.[23]
She is the daughter of the late Conservative assembly member Mohammad Asghar. She is of Pakistani descent.[24] Asghar was privately educated at Rougemont School in Newport, she went on to hold a BA in Politics and Social Policy and a Masters in Contemporary British Policy and Media from the University of London.[25] [26]
In May 2021, Asghar was highlighted as one of British Vogue's "5 Forces For Change".[27] She was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in December 2021.[28]