Laila Cunningham is a British politician, former Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor, lawyer, entrepreneur, and former Westminster City councillor who has become increasingly prominent in British public life. Her career has crossed several different fields, including criminal law, local government, entrepreneurship, women’s enterprise, and national political campaigning. In January 2026, Reform UK announced Cunningham as its candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election, bringing her profile to a much wider audience.
Born in Paddington, London, in August 1977, Cunningham grew up in a family with Egyptian roots. Her parents had moved from Egypt to Britain during the 1960s, and she was raised in Kilburn as one of five children. Her multicultural background, education, legal career, experience as a mother, and later involvement in politics have all contributed to the public interest surrounding her biography.
Who Is Laila Cunningham?
Laila Cunningham is best known today as a Reform UK politician and the party’s selected candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election. Before joining Reform UK, she was a Conservative politician and served as a councillor representing Lancaster Gate on Westminster City Council.
Her professional background is different from that of many politicians because she spent a significant part of her career working in the legal system. She worked as a prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), giving her professional experience in criminal law before she entered elected politics.
Her career has also included entrepreneurship. Cunningham founded Kitchin Table, a platform intended to help women working independently or remotely connect with other professionals and work together locally. The project attracted coverage from major British publications and formed part of her public work on women’s enterprise and technology.
Laila Cunningham’s Early Life and Family Background
Cunningham was born in Paddington, London, in August 1977. Her parents were Egyptian immigrants who came to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. She grew up in Kilburn with four siblings. Her upbringing exposed her to both British society and her family’s Egyptian heritage.
She attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington, a school following the French educational system. During her school years, Cunningham developed an interest in basketball. Her height helped her stand out in the sport, and she eventually played at a competitive level. Sources report that she represented South East England and participated in the London Youth Games.
Basketball also became connected to her education in the United States. She played while studying at California State University, Long Beach. Her experience in California later became relevant to her entrepreneurial ambitions, particularly when she developed Kitchin Table and worked within technology and women’s business networks.
Education and Legal Career
After her education, Cunningham developed a career in law. She eventually became a prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, where she worked on criminal cases.
Her experience as a prosecutor became an important part of her later public identity. Before becoming a politician, she had spent years working within the criminal justice system, and she has subsequently placed considerable emphasis on issues involving crime, policing and public safety.
Her legal background has also distinguished her from politicians whose careers began entirely within party politics. Cunningham’s route into public life included professional experience in law, a period focused on family life, entrepreneurship, and then local government.
Laila Cunningham and Kitchin Table
One notable part of Cunningham’s career outside politics was her involvement in Kitchin Table.
After leaving full-time legal work during a period of major changes in her personal life, Cunningham began doing freelance legal work. She reportedly found working alone from home unsatisfying and developed the idea for a platform that could help women working independently connect with one another.
Kitchin Table was designed as a networking and working community for female freelancers and remote workers. The concept was described as something similar to a local professional network, allowing women to meet and work together rather than operating in isolation.
The project expanded beyond Britain and was launched in the United States. Cunningham also attended a residential accelerator in Silicon Valley and became involved in discussions around women in technology and enterprise. Her entrepreneurial work gave her experience outside traditional legal and political institutions.
Entry Into Politics
Cunningham first became involved in electoral politics as a Conservative. She contested the Queen’s Park ward in the 2018 Westminster City Council election but was not elected.
Her second major attempt at local government came in 2022, when she stood in the Lancaster Gate ward. She won a seat on Westminster City Council and began serving as a Conservative councillor.
Her political activities later expanded beyond Westminster. In the 2024 London Assembly election, she appeared on the Conservative London-wide list but was not elected.
She was also selected as a Conservative parliamentary candidate for Rotherham at the 2024 general election. However, she withdrew from the contest, and the Conservatives did not field a candidate there.
Leaving the Conservative Party
A major turning point in Cunningham’s political career came in June 2025, when she left the Conservative Party and joined Reform UK.
She said the Conservatives had failed the country on issues including taxation and immigration. Her move attracted considerable attention because she was one of the Westminster councillors to move from the Conservatives to Reform UK.
Her transition to Reform also occurred alongside the end of her career as a CPS prosecutor. In June 2025, comments she made publicly while still working for the CPS attracted scrutiny regarding the professional rules governing prosecutors and political activity. She subsequently resigned from the CPS, and the resignation was accepted.
The combination of her legal background, political change and outspoken public statements contributed to increased media coverage of her career.
Laila Cunningham and Reform UK
Following her move to Reform UK, Cunningham became more prominent within the party’s London organization. She was involved in campaigning on issues including crime, housing, taxation, immigration and transport.
She was also associated with Women for Reform, an organization launched in 2025 involving several female figures connected with Reform UK. The initiative was intended to increase the participation and visibility of women within the party’s political campaigning.
Cunningham’s public profile increased further as she appeared in interviews and political discussions about London’s future. Her background as a former prosecutor has frequently featured in coverage of her political career.
Laila Cunningham as a 2028 London Mayoral Candidate
In January 2026, Reform UK announced Laila Cunningham as its candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election. The announcement transformed her position from a relatively little-known Westminster councillor into a national political figure with a high-profile future electoral contest ahead.
Her campaign has focused on several areas of London policy. These include crime and policing, housing, taxation, transport, immigration and environmental policies. For example, she has said that she would seek to abolish London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Cunningham has also spoken about social housing and immigration. Her policy positions have generated both support and criticism from different political perspectives, making her an increasingly visible figure in debates about London’s political direction.
The 2028 election remains in the future, so Cunningham’s candidacy should be understood as a current political position rather than an election result.
Laila Cunningham’s Views on London
Cunningham has presented crime and public safety as central themes of her political work. Her previous career as a prosecutor is frequently referenced when she discusses these subjects.
She has also criticized aspects of London’s existing administration and has argued for changes in areas such as transport, housing and taxation. Her public statements have attracted significant media attention, particularly because some of her positions differ substantially from those of Labour figures governing London.
Her political views have also generated controversy. For example, her statements on immigration, religion and social issues have been reported and debated by British and international media. Different publications and political figures have characterized some of these statements differently, so readers should distinguish Cunningham’s own stated positions from the interpretations or criticisms offered by others.
Laila Cunningham’s Family and Personal Life
Cunningham is a mother of seven children. Public biographical accounts describe her as having had two marriages. Her first marriage was to Philippe Dupuy, and she later married Michael Cunningham in 2018. Her family includes children from her first marriage as well as children connected with her second marriage.
Her family life has been part of her public story, particularly because she has discussed balancing motherhood, professional work and entrepreneurship. Her career demonstrates a progression from legal work to business and then elected politics.
As with many public figures, details about family members can be reported differently by different publications. The most reliable approach is to distinguish information Cunningham herself has made public from claims made by secondary sources.
Laila Cunningham’s Public Profile
Cunningham’s public profile has grown significantly since 2025. Her move from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, departure from the CPS, involvement in the party’s London organization and selection as its 2028 London mayoral candidate have each contributed to increased media attention.
She has also written and spoken publicly about political issues. Her background in law and entrepreneurship provides a broader context for understanding her career, which has not followed a conventional political route.
Her biography is therefore not limited to her current role in politics. It includes education, competitive sport, legal work, business development, motherhood, local government and national political campaigning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Laila Cunningham
When was Laila Cunningham born?
Laila Cunningham was born in August 1977 in Paddington, London.
What is Laila Cunningham known for?
She is known as a British politician, former Crown Prosecution Laila Cunningham BiographyService prosecutor, lawyer, entrepreneur and Reform UK candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election.
Which political party does Laila Cunningham belong to?
Cunningham joined Reform UK in June 2025 after previously being a Conservative councillor.
Was Laila Cunningham a Westminster councillor?
Yes. She was elected to Westminster City Council in 2022 representing Lancaster Gate. She did not stand for re-election in the 2026 Westminster City Council election.
What did Laila Cunningham do before politics?
Before entering elected politics, Cunningham worked as a lawyer and prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service. She also founded Kitchin Table, a networking platform for women working independently or remotely.
Is Laila Cunningham standing for London Mayor?
Reform UK announced Cunningham as its candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election in January 2026.
Conclusion
Laila Cunningham’s biography reflects a career that has moved through several distinct stages. From her childhood in London and education at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle to competitive basketball, university in California, a career as a Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor, entrepreneurship and local government, she has developed experience in a variety of fields.
Her transition from the Conservative Party to Reform UK in 2025 marked a significant change in her political career. Her subsequent selection as Reform UK’s candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election has made her one of the party’s most visible figures in the capital.
As the 2028 mayoral contest develops, Cunningham’s legal background, business experience, political positions and public statements are likely to remain important parts of her public profile. For readers researching Laila Cunningham Biography, her story provides an example of a modern British political career shaped by law, entrepreneurship, local government and national political campaigning.
