Asghar stood as a
Plaid Cymru candidate in the
2007 National Assembly for Wales election in
Blaenau Gwent and for the
Wales seat in the
2009 European elections. She joined the Conservative party in December 2009 at the same time as her father,
Mohammad Asghar. She said "For me, family is everything. I believe in my father. Wherever he goes I will follow." 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. She was hired as a member of his support staff in the Senedd in 2010. and
Newport East at the
2015 and
2017 UK Parliament elections as a Conservative. 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. She announced her decision via a video on
Twitter. She had previously been a London resident for 20 years before moving to Wales. 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.
Senedd 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. Shortly after she was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport. As Shadow Transport Minister, she supported the creation of an All Wales Travel Card similar to the
Oyster card in London. She also led the Welsh Conservative's approach to criticising the reduction of 30 mph speed limit zones to 20 miles per hour. In May 2024, the Senedd Standards Commissioner announced she was being investigated over her description of the Welsh Government's new 20 mph default limit policy as "blanket". In September 2024, the Commissioner reported that this was a breach of the Senedd's code of conduct. Asghar stated she would "make absolutely no apology" for her description of the policy. In October 2024, she posted images of herself attending a protest against the 20 mph 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. 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." Her portfolio was expanded to include responsibility for children and young people in July 2025. In the
2026 Senedd election, she will be a candidate in the
Casnewydd Islwyn constituency. == Background ==