Nesil Caliskan

Caliskan was born in a family of Turkish-Cypriot descent and raised in Enfield, London. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading and graduated with a Master of Science in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics in 2012. During her time at Reading University, Caliskan was vice president responsible for Democracy and Campaigns between 2010 and 2011, during which she participated in the 2010 United Kingdom student protests against increased tuition fees and spending cuts by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. ==Career outside Parliament==

Caliskan joined the Labour Party aged 15 years old and has campaigned for Labour in every election since 2004. From 2013 to 2015, Caliskan was Cabinet Support Officer in Haringey Council and from June to December 2015 a Parliamentary Researcher in the House of Commons and also had roles in the NHS from 2016 to 2018. In May 2018, aged 29, Caliskan was elected Leader of Enfield Council after unexpectedly defeating incumbent Doug Taylor, who had led the council for eight years, becoming the first female and Turkish-Cypriot council leader in Enfield and the youngest female council leader in the country at the time. From January to February 2024, deputy leader Ergin Erbil was temporarily made council leader after Caliskan took maternity leave. ==Parliamentary career==

In June 2024, Caliskan was formally selected as the candidate for Barking for the 2024 general election to succeed veteran MP Margaret Hodge after the original candidate, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council Darren Rodwell withdrew his candidacy due to sexual harassment allegations against him, which Rodwell was nevertheless cleared of days afterwards. Caliskan is the first Turkish-Cypriot heritage Member of Parliament. On 4 July, Caliskan was elected Member of Parliament for Barking with an 11,054 majority, succeeding veteran MP Margaret Hodge who stood down. Shortly after being elected MP, Caliskan announced that she would stand down as Enfield Council leader as soon as a new leader is elected. On 9 August 2024, Caliskan resigned as leader of Enfield Council with Ergin Erbil made interim leader, but remained a councillor of Enfield Council. On 18 September, Ergin Erbil was formally elected leader of Enfield Council. Caliskan has after her election as MP effectively resigned as a National Executive Committee (NEC) member. On 28 November 2024, following her resignation as a councillor for Jubilee ward, Ian Barnes was elected to replace Caliskan. Government experience On 7 September 2025, Nesil Caliskan was given a new job as Comptroller of the Household, which means Caliskan is the third most senior UK Government Whip in the House of Commons, she is also the first Turkish-Cypriot heritage MP to be appointed a Government Whip in 2025. ==Personal life==

Caliskan is married to Turkish international relations academic and author Emre Caliskan. In 2024, she gave birth to her first child. Her mother, Alev Cazimoglu is also a member of Enfield Council. ==See also==