Ayesha Hazarika MBE is a columnist and broadcaster who is known for her insightful and witty opinions and observations on current affairs and politics. Having started her career as a stand-up comedian playing clubs across the country, she then took what she thought was a natural diversion into politics as a Special Adviser for the Labour Party, working with them for eight years both in Government and Opposition. During her time in Westminster she worked for Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband, advising them on Prime Minister’s Questions, speeches, media and policy as well as heading up initiatives on topics such as Women and Equality. In 2019 Ayesha Hazarika took over as Editor of The Londoner, the Evening Standard’s Daily Diary section, where she distils the latest news and insights from across the capital. Ayesha will also continue with her hugely popular column for the Evening Standard every Wednesday. Since leaving front line politics Ayesha has presented shows on LBC and was previously a part of the panel discussion show on CNN Talk three times a week (CNN international). In print Ayesha has contributed to The Scotsman, FT, Guardian, New Statesman and Grazia. She is also a much sought after pundit due to her unique position to analyse and comment on current affairs with great wit and insight appearing regularly across shows including Question Times (BBC), Good Morning Britain (ITV), Sky Papers (Sky News), The Andrew Marr Show (BBC1), Newsnight (BBC2), The Agenda (ITV) and The Today Programme(BBC Radio 4) as well as using her comedy chops on Have I Got News For You (BBC), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Breaking the News (BBC Radio Scotland) and Matt Forde’s Unspun (Dave). She has also presented on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Review leading the week’s discussion of cultural events. In 2018 she took her new show Girl on Girl – The Fight for Feminism on tour across the UK including a week’s run at the Soho Theatre which followed a successful two week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show looked at the current state of feminism with humour and honesty and tackled topics such as Weinstein, #MeToo and Kavanagh as well as looking at the medias obsession with pitting women against women. Ayesha’s return to stand up came in 2016 with her show Tales from the Pink Bus which was a sell-out hit at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival and the Women of the World at the Southbank Centre. She then extended this show, creating State of the Nation, which she toured throughout the UK in early 2017 including a hugely successful run at the Soho Theatre, which had extra dates added due to phenomenal demand. During the show, Ayesha lifts the lid on what life was really like behind the scenes at Westminster with brutal honesty and humour and asks what’s next for British politics.