Ayesha Hazarika

Baroness Ayesha Hazarika is a broadcaster, comedian, and member of the House of Lords who blends sharp political insight with wit and warmth. She spent eight years as a Special Adviser to the Labour Party, working with Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman, and Ed Miliband, before being elevated to the peerage in 2024. Now hosting Times Radio and regularly appearing on Question Time, Good Morning Britain, and Have I Got News For You, she has also toured three sell-out comedy shows and co-authored Punch & Judy Politics. Her presentations help audiences decode political messaging, navigate policy decisions, and understand the forces shaping their operating environment, all delivered with humour, honesty, and authentic energy that leaves people informed, confident, and genuinely entertained.

After eight years advising Labour leaders on Prime Minister's Questions, speeches, and media strategy, Ayesha Hazarika walked away from Westminster and stepped onto a comedy stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. That unexpected pivot, from the high-pressure world of government special advisers to stand-up comedy, defined a career that now spans broadcasting, writing, and the House of Lords. In 2024, she was granted a lifetime peerage and elevated to the House of Lords as Baroness Hazarika of Coatbridge, nominated by Labour and conferred by His Majesty. Born in Scotland to Indian Muslim parents who immigrated from Assam in the 1960s, she studied law before training as a journalist, then worked for Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman, and Ed Miliband, advising on policy development and leading initiatives on women and equality. Her journey from frontline politics to comedy and back again gives her a rare ability to decode political messaging with both rigour and wit.

Ayesha now hosts Times Radio every Friday and weekend drive shows, dissecting the week's news and geopolitical events with insight and humour. She sits in the political hotseat on Good Morning Britain biweekly and appears regularly on Question Time, Newsnight, and Have I Got News For You, where her sharp analysis meets her comedic instinct. She exercises her funny bones on The News Quiz and has toured three sell-out comedy shows across the UK, including residencies at the Soho Theatre with Tales From The Pink Bus, Girl On Girl: The Fight For Feminism, and State Of The Nation. Her writing appears in The Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, The i Paper, and The Scotsman, whilst she co-authored Punch & Judy Politics, offering a behind-the-scenes account of Prime Minister's Questions. She has also presented The Diplomat's official companion podcast for Netflix, interviewing stars Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, and Allison Janney, and co-hosted PwC's Take on Tomorrow, examining how businesses can solve society's biggest challenges. At the 2025 Hugh Cudlipp Lecture, she advocated passionately for investment in journalism, emphasising that artificial intelligence cannot replace the graft and shoe leather of real reporters.

Ayesha equips audiences with practical understanding of how political decisions are made, how messages are crafted, and how policy is influenced. She addresses leadership communication, equality in the workplace, and the evolving role of culture and media in shaping public opinion, all interspersed with laugh-out-loud moments that make complex ideas accessible. Her presentations combine rigorous political analysis with honesty and humour, helping organisations understand the forces shaping their operating environment. Whether delivering keynote insights, hosting panel discussions, or providing after-dinner entertainment, she leaves audiences better informed, more confident in navigating political complexity, and genuinely entertained by her authentic, energetic delivery that reflects her unique journey from Westminster adviser to comedy stage to the House of Lords.