Labour MP Tulip Siddiq was briefly applauded in the Commons this afternoon as she thanked MPs who campaigned to help secure Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release.
While applause is not allowed in the Commons chamber, a number of claps were heard as the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn finished her speech hours before Nazanin is reunited with her family.
The Labour MP has worked tirelessly to secure Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release, working with her constituent and Nazanin's husband, Richard Ratcliffe.
Minutes after it was confirmed Nazanin will be coming home, Ms Siddiq said on Twitter : “Nazanin is at the airport in Tehran and on her way home.
“I came into politics to make a difference, and right now I’m feeling like I have.”
We look into Ms Siddiq's life...
Who is Tulip Siddiq?
Tulip Siddiq has supported the Labour Party since she was 16 years old, first She comes from an extremely political background; her grandfather is the founding father and first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Her auntie Sheikh Hasina is currently the prime minister of Bangladesh.
Ms Siddiq’s politics is driven by her mum and auntie’s struggle to seek safety in the UK and the care her disabled father received from the NHS.
The Labour MP’s grandfather was assassinated by Bangladesh soldiers In 1975 alongside 19 members of his family. Her mum and want survived as they were in Germany at the time, but lately claimed political asylum in the UK.
Ms Siddiq’s dad suffered a stroke which left him in a wheelchair and unable to speak for five years.
During her election campaign, speaking to the Evening Standard, she said: “I joined the Labour Party because of the NHS; my father received really good treatment here.”
She has worked for Amnesty International, commenting on the trafficking of women, the Greater London Authority, Save the Children and Brunswick where she worked on corporate social responsibilities.
The 39-year-old from Sutton, London, first won her Hampstead and Kilburn seat with a huge voter turnout of 67.3% in 2015.
In her first address to the Commons she praised Britain for being a save haven to refugees and asylum seekers.
"My constituency elected the daughter of a political asylum seeker. Nineteen members of her family had been assassinated at home.
"My mother came to Britain because this [the UK] was a safe haven for her. And what my mother’s story tells you is that immigration is not simply an economic phenomenon.
"Britain has been seen for many years as a safe haven for political freedom and we must not slip away."
What was Tulip Siddiq’s involvement with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case?
Ms Siddiq has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of her constituents Nazanin and Richard Ratcliffe.
As their MP, she appeared at a number of press events with Richard, raised eight urgent questions and took part in dozens of events to ensure Nazanin's case was heard.
Speaking in the Commons hours after Nazanin's release was confirmed, Ms Siddiq said: "I want to pay tribute to my constituent Richard Ratcliffe for his relentless campaigning, but I also think he’s really set the bar high for all husbands.
“Can I say to Nazanin, welcome home, after six long years. And can I say to Gabriella (Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s daughter), this time mummy really is coming home.”
She later added: "Can I thank all the MPs on behalf of Richard Ratcliffe who texted me just before I stood up, to say thank you across the chamber.
"Because whichever side of the House you were in, you worked hard, everyone worked hard, to make sure that Nazanin was released.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss thanked Ms Siddiq for her campaigning.
Ms Truss also told MPs: "It was only when we heard that the wheels were up in Tehran that we really knew it was happening.
"I was just extremely concerned to make sure that Nazanin and Anoosheh had really been able to leave Iran, and I’m so delighted that we are going to be able to welcome them home today, and the family is going to be able to welcome them home today."
Sadly there are still two other Brit nationals that have not had the same amount of attention in the Commons, and are still being held hostage in Iran.
Morad Tahbaz has been released but on furlough. Mehran Raoof is still being held hostage.
