Britain elected its first-ever member of parliament of Palestinian heritage in the general election that took place on June 8.
Layla Moran, who is the daughter of a Palestinian from Jerusalem and a British diplomat, is the first Liberal Democrat minority MP and the only standing parliamentarian with an Arab background.
Prior to her election, Moran had vowed to be the voice of the Arab community in case of her victory, saying, "De facto [In fact], I will be a representative of our community in parliament, and it will be a great honor which I take humbly."
34-year-old Layla Moran, who is part of the Liberal Democrats political party, won the parliamentary seat for Oxford West and Abingdon by only 816 votes. She overcame the Conservative frontbencher Nicola Blackwood who had held the seat since 2010.
Having overturned the huge Conservative majority, Moran is the only MP to overturn a seat in her county, as the county's other five seats remained unchanged, the Middle East Monitor reported.
During her campaign, Moran promised to fight for the environment, better infrastructure, better school systems, as well as fairer taxation.
"She [Layla] has already demonstrated her commitment to increasing local jobs opportunities, promoting apprenticeships and investment in the science industry," her websites states.
Moran is a former math and physics teacher who had graduated with a degree in physics from Imperial College and a Master's degree in Comparative Education. According to her website, she was the youngest Head of Year in her school's history.
Apart from her work in politics, Moran currently works with an Oxford-based social enterprise that helps International Baccalaureate students.
Moran was born to a Christian Arab mother from Jerusalem and a British father who has previously served as an ambassador for the European Union.
According to the Middle East Monitor, Moran's great-grandfather, Wasif Jawhariyyeh, wrote extensive memoirs about Palestinian life under Ottoman and British rule.
"[My grandfather] describes a Jerusalem where you had Jews, Christians, and Muslim communities coming together, who were respectful of each other," Moran told The New Arab.
Moran has a rich international background, having lived in many countries including Belgium, Greece, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Jordan. She speaks French fluently along with some Arabic, Spanish and Greek.
"My Palestinian background has made me interested at a global level. Politics was always at the dinner table, it primed me to engage," she said.
While there has not been a strong Arab presence in the British parliament, Moran is not the first MP of Arab descent. Edward Albert Sassoon and Maurice Saatchi, who are of Iraqi heritage, served in the parliament.