Baroness Pola Uddin Guilty of Bullying and Harassment

Baroness Pola Uddin, Britain's first and only British Bangladeshi peer, has been found guilty of bullying and harassment. A recent House of Lords Conduct Committee report determined her behavior toward a parliamentary security officer violated the Code of Conduct and recommended she issue a formal letter of apology, Daily Dazzling Dawn confirmed.

This incident is the latest in a series of controversies for a political figure whose pioneering career has been repeatedly overshadowed by allegations of misconduct, most notably a major parliamentary expenses scandal.

The Bullying and Harassment Finding

The committee's finding follows an investigation into an incident involving a security officer, referred to as GH. The complaint alleged that Baroness Uddin became "angry and belligerent" after the officer politely asked her guest to use the visitor entrance for a search. According to the complaint, the peer loudly referred to the officer as an "incompetent fool" and an "incompetent white fool." Despite Baroness Uddin's denial, the Commissioner for Standards upheld the complaint, finding her conduct amounted to bullying and harassment.

The report noted that while the incident was on the "lower end of severity," it still violated the standards expected of a member of the House of Lords. Following the report, she has yet to appeal the finding or the recommended sanction. The Daily Dazzling Dawn emailed her official contact for a comment on the report, but received no response after waiting for more than two weeks. 

Previous £125,000 Expenses Scandal

The recent ruling adds to a complex record that includes a major financial scandal a decade ago. In 2010, a House of Lords committee investigation found that Baroness Uddin had wrongly claimed over £125,000 in expenses.

The scandal centered on her claims for a parliamentary allowance for members whose main residence was outside London. The investigation found that she had designated a flat she owned in Maidstone, Kent, as her main residence, despite her family home being in East London, just four miles from the House of Lords. The committee determined that the Maidstone property was largely unoccupied for years, with neighbors testifying to The Sunday Times that the flat was empty and that she rarely visited.

The House of Lords' report concluded that she had acted in "bad faith," finding that her claims were a deliberate misrepresentation of her living situation. The scandal resulted in her suspension from the House of Lords until 2012 and an order to repay the full amount.

A Pioneering Career Rooted in Tower Hamlets

Born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Manzila Pola Uddin moved to the UK at a young age, settling in East London. Her political journey began in Tower Hamlets, a borough with a large and established Bangladeshi community. She became the UK's first Bangladeshi woman to hold a local authority office in 1990, serving as a Labour councillor and championing women's and disability rights. Her activism and influence led to her appointment to the House of Lords in 1998, making her the first Muslim and Bangladeshi woman to hold such a distinguished position.