Nesil Caliskan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Comptroller of the Household | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Chris Elmore |
| Member of Parliament forBarking | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Hodge |
| Majority | 11,054(30.3%) |
| Leader ofEnfield Council | |
| In office 23 May 2018 – 9 August 2024 | |
| Deputy | Ergin Erbil |
| Preceded by | Doug Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Ergin Erbil |
| Member ofEnfield Council forJubilee ward | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rohini Simbodyal |
| Succeeded by | Ian Barnes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nesil Cazimoglu (1988-10-27)27 October 1988 (age 37) Enfield, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Emre Caliskan |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent | Alev Cazimoglu (mother) |
| Alma mater | University of Reading London School of Economics |
| Website | https://www.nesilcaliskan.com/ |
Nesil Caliskan (néeCazimoglu; born 1988) is a BritishLabour Party politician who is currently the Member of Parliament forBarking since the2024 general election.[1]
Caliskan was born in a family ofTurkish-Cypriot descent and raised inEnfield,London. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Politics andInternational Relations from theUniversity of Reading and graduated with a Masters of Science in Politics and Communication from theLondon School of Economics in 2012.[2] During her time at Reading University, Caliskan was vice president responsible for Democracy and Campaigns between 2010 and 2011, during which she participated in the2010 United Kingdom student protests against increased tuition fees and spending cuts by theConservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.[3]
Caliskan joined the Labour Party aged 15 years old and has campaigned for Labour in every election since 2004.[4] From 2013 till 2015, Caliskan was Cabinet Support Officer inHaringey Council and from June to December 2015 a Parliamentary Researcher in theHouse of Commons and also had roles in theNHS from 2016 to 2018.[2] In a by-election in May 2015, Caliskan was elected as a member ofEnfield Council for theJubilee ward.[5] 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.[4][5] Caliskan is currently a board member of ReLondon and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Chair of the Safer and Stronger Communities Board, and an Executive Member of London Councils.[2] In May 2023, she was elected as Labour's chief of the Local Government Association (LGA) and has sat on Labour's governing National Executive Committee (NEC) since September 2023.[6][7][8] From January to February 2024, deputy leader Ergin Erbil was temporarily made council leader after Caliskan took maternity leave.[9]
In June 2024, Caliskan was formally selected as the candidate for Barking for the 2024 General Election to succeed VeteranMPMargaret Hodge after the original candidate, Leader ofBarking and Dagenham Council Darren Rodwell withdrew his candidacy due to sexual harassment allegations against him, which Rodwell was nevertheless cleared of days afterwards.[10][11][12][13] Caliskan is the first Turkish-Cypriot heritage Member of Parliament.[14] On 4 July, Caliskan was elected Member of Parliament for Barking with an 11,054 majority, succeeding veteran MPMargaret Hodge who stood down.[15][16] Shortly after being elected MP, Caliskan announced that she would stand down as Enfield Council leader as soon as a new leader is elected.[17] On 9 August 2024, Caliskan resigned as leader of Enfield Council with Ergin Erbil made interim leader, but remained a councillor of Enfield Council.[18][19] On 18 September, Ergin Erbil was formally elected leader of Enfield Council.[20] Caliskan has after her election as MP effectively resigned as a National Executive Committee (NEC) member.[21] On 28 November 2024, following her resignation as a councillor forJubilee ward, Ian Barnes was elected to replace Caliskan.[22][23]
On the 7th of September 2025, Nesil Caliskan was given a new job asComptroller of the Household, which means Caliskan is the third most senior UK Government Whip in theHouse of Commons, she is also the first Turkish-Cypriot heritage MP to be appointed a Government Whip in 2025.
Caliskan is married to Turkish international relations academic and author Emre Caliskan.[24] In 2024, she gave birth to her first child.[24] Her mother, Alev Cazimoglu is also a member of Enfield Council.[24]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBarking 2024–present | Incumbent |
