Sadiq Khan leads tributes to Ealing councillor Aysha Raza
Dr Raza was Ealing’s first female Muslim cabinet member. Colleagues said she was ‘wonderful’ and a ‘superstar’
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has led tributes to Ealing councillor Dr Aysha Raza following her death earlier this month, with colleagues praising her as a “magical” figure with a rare ability to bring people together.
Dr Raza, who had served as the Labour councillor for the Central Greenford ward in the west London borough since 2014, died suddenly on 15 February.
Khan said there were “no words to fully express my shock and deep sadness” at Raza’s sudden passing. He described her as a “respected neuroscientist, passionate defender of the NHS and a tireless campaigner for equality”.
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Khan said Raza had worked “relentlessly” for her local community and for “social justice everywhere”, adding that her “commitment to fairness and compassion was unwavering” and her impact “will be felt for years to come”.
Speaking to Hyphen, Dee Martin, a Labour councillor for Northolt West End in Ealing, said she had known Raza since 2011 and felt “grateful and privileged” to have had her as both a colleague and a close friend.
“She was a magical and wonderful person,” said Martin. “So many people loved her and she gave so much of herself to everyone that she met — even after half an hour, she sometimes changed people’s lives or cheered them up. She was quite transformative in that way.”
Raza served as Ealing Council’s crime and inequality chief from 2021 to 2023, becoming the first Muslim woman to hold a cabinet position in the borough. A trained neuroscientist, she was also a prominent supporter of the NHS and played a key role in Ealing Save Our NHS, which campaigns against cuts, closures and privatisation in the borough’s hospitals.
Colleagues said her influence extended far beyond council meetings. Raza was active with the Young Ealing Foundation, the Ealing Wildlife Group, the Holy Cross Players drama group and the Royal British Legion, and served as a school governor at Stanhope Primary School and William Perkin High School.
“She absolutely loved Greenford,” said Martin. “She inspired people even after a short conversation — people have changed their careers and degree courses and even decided to stand as councillors themselves.”
One of those individuals was Ben Wesson, the Labour councillor for Pitshanger ward, who said Raza had personally encouraged him to stand for election.
“She was the very best of community activists — a superstar community connector,” said Wesson. “Everyone locally seems to have a story involving Aysha in some way. She touched so many lives through her work.”
Wesson highlighted her environmental campaigning, including her work with the Ealing Wildlife Group and efforts to help bring beavers back to Greenford — an achievement he said she spoke about with great pride.
“She had incredible academic credentials as a scientist, but she was also one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met,” he said. “She cared deeply about humanity, whether that was tackling violence against women and girls or delivering food to people in need.”
A candlelit vigil held in Greenford last week drew around 150 people despite the rain, reflecting what colleagues described as a widespread outpouring of affection across the borough.
Looking ahead, councillors say Raza’s legacy will live on through the causes she championed and the communities she helped build.
“Her legacy is about caring for others and making sure that doesn’t get lost,” said Martin. “She helped bring more women, including Muslim women, into local politics. I think that she’s one of the reasons why Ealing has ended up as a 50:50 council, which is quite an achievement.”
Wesson added: “In politics, it’s quite a rarity to find somebody with that ability to bring people together in the way she did. That spirit of connection — that will be her legacy.”
