Claire Ward

Last updated

Claire Ward
Claire Ward 2 (cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2009
Mayor of the East Midlands
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2024

The Labour Party was in Government throughout Ward's time in Parliament. As of the end of 2009, Ward had rebelled against the Government's stated or majority position 19 times out of 2,629 votes she attended, a rebelling rate of 0.72%. On occasion she voted against her party line on changes to the schedule of the House of Commons, and the Government's position on reform of the House of Lords. In 2004, she voted with the Conservatives in favour of introducing a ban on the "reasonable chastisement" of children. [27] In 2008, on a free vote, [28] Ward voted against her party's majority position on abortion, where she unsuccessfully voted in several separate bills for a reduction in the time when an abortion can be carried out from 24 weeks. [29]

Post-parliamentary career

From June 2011 until its closure in March 2015, Ward was executive director of the Independent Pharmacy Federation. [30] [31] In April 2015, Ward became the Chair of Pharmacy Voice, an association of trade bodies representing community pharmacy contractors. [31] [32] She resigned this role in April 2017 as part of the Pharmacy Voice's closure. [33] [34] Claire Ward was Chief Executive of the Institute for Collaborative Working from January 2019 to January 2022. She also continues roles in the pharmacy sector with the Pharmacists Defence Association and as Chair of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Annual Conference. She has been a Governor of the University of Hertfordshire since September 2018. She became a Non Executive Director of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in May 2013 and was appointed chair in October 2021. [35]

Mayor of the East Midlands

Ward (right), with fellow metro mayors, Sadiq Khan and Tracy Brabin, on a visit to 10 Downing Street Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner meets Metro Mayors (53844225472) (cropped).jpg
Ward (right), with fellow metro mayors, Sadiq Khan and Tracy Brabin, on a visit to 10 Downing Street

In August 2023, she was selected as Labour and Co-operative candidate to be the first mayor in the 2024 East Midlands mayoral election. [36] In May 2024 she was elected to this position. [37] [38]

She subsequently announced that she would stand down as chair of the Hospitals Trust. At the same time, she said her first few months would involve building partnerships with those who could help her make changes over her massive region, using the £1.14 billion devolution deal covering 30 years, for transport, housing, skills, education, the economy and net-zero strategy in the huge East Midlands region. 'We have been massively underfunded and under-invested in as a region, and it is really important we take those new powers and that funding from Westminster, we bring it in to this region and we decide our own priorities.' [39]

Family life

When she was aged 28, Claire Ward met John Simpson, a plumber four years older than her, with his own business in Wembley, at a birthday party in Watford. They announced their engagement two years later. She married in 2003, and her first child, in 2005, was stillborn. [40] She has subsequently had two further children. [41]

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References

  1. ↑ "East Midlands Mayor: Labour's Claire Ward wins first-ever election". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Claire Ward". BBC News. 16 March 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  3. ↑ Sylvester, Rachel (17 January 1999). "Hare Krishna paid for Labour MP's trip to India". The Independent . London: Independent News and Media . Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  4. ↑ Ward, Claire. "Claire Ward's Biography". Watford Labour Party. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Barbieri, Annalisa (11 May 1997). "Interview: Claire Ward; Age of innocence". The Independent . London: Independent News and Media . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  6. ↑ Hodges, Lucy (24 July 1997). "A-Z of Universities: Hertfordshire". The Independent . London. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Claire Ward- Ministry of Justice". Ministry of Justice. Crown copyright. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  8. ↑ "Claire Ward". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 "Members of Parliament for Watford". Watford Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  10. ↑ Castle, Stephen; Birnberg, Ariadne (9 February 1997). "The Cabinet of Tomorrow?". The Independent . London: Independent News and Media . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  11. 1 2 McSmith, Andy (16 March 2001). "The young idealist who took on the old hand". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  12. ↑ "Ms Claire Ward MP". politicalwizard.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. 1 2 "Vote 2001: Watford". BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  14. ↑ "All-Party Parliamentary Chocolate and Confectionery Industry Group". House of Commons – Register of All-Party Groups. London: Parliament of the United Kingdom. 12 September 2000. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  15. ↑ "All-Party Parliamentary Chocolate and Confectionery Industry Group". House of Commons – Register of All-Party Groups. London: Parliament of the United Kingdom. 14 May 2001. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  16. ↑ "Official Report, Commons". London: Parliament of the United Kingdom. 20 May 2002. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  17. ↑ "The 'Blair babes': Where are they now?". BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  18. ↑ Meek, James (6 May 2005). "Watford: a three-way junction to Westminster". The Guardian . London: Guardian News and Media . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  19. ↑ "Election 2005: Watford". BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "The Cabinet and new members of the Government". The Independent . London: Independent News and Media. 10 May 2005. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  21. ↑ "Her Majesty s Cabinet and Ministerial list". 10 Downing Street. 5 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  22. ↑ Jeeves, Paul (6 October 2008). "Reshuffle in full: New Minister hints he may seek to impose curb on migrant arrivals". The Yorkshire Post . Johnston Press Digital Publishing . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  23. ↑ "Who's who in Gordon Brown's government?". guardian.co.uk . London: Guardian News and Media. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  24. ↑ Neil Skinner (25 March 2009). "Watford MP Claire Ward defends expenses claim". Watford Observer. Newsquest . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  25. ↑ Ward, Claire (21 May 2009). "MP's expenses". mySociety. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  26. ↑ Bremner, Charles; Robertson, David (20 May 2007). "How your MP voted on the FOI Bill". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009.
  27. ↑ "Children Bill [Lords] – New Clause 12 – Reasonable punishment – 2 Nov 2004 at 17:50 – The Public Whip". Publicwhip.org.uk. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "MPs reject cut in abortion limit". BBC News. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  29. ↑ "Voting Record – Claire Ward MP, Watford (10621) – The Public Whip". Publicwhip.org.uk. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  30. ↑ "Directors". Independent Pharmacy Federation. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  31. 1 2 "New Chapter new Challenge". March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  32. ↑ "Board". Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  33. ↑ Waldron, James (20 March 2017). "BREAKING: Pharmacy Voice office to finally close next month" . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  34. ↑ "MS CLAIRE MARGARET WARD". companycheck.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  35. ↑ "East Midlands trust appoints former MP as new chair". Health Service Journal. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  36. ↑ Neame, Katie (4 August 2023). "Former MP Claire Ward chosen as Labour candidate for East Midlands mayor". LabourList . Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  37. ↑ Belam, Martin; Sparrow, Andrew; Lowe, Yohannes; Belam (now), Martin; Lowe (earlier), Yohannes (3 May 2024). "Labour's Claire Ward elected first mayor of East Midlands as Sunak celebrates Tees Valley mayoral victory – live". the Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  38. ↑ "East Midlands Mayor: Labour's Claire Ward wins first-ever election". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  39. ↑ "Claire Ward: East Midlands Mayor to stand down as hospital chair". West Bridgford Wire. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  40. ↑ "The Blair babe and the plumber". The Standard. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  41. ↑ Ward, Claire (21 May 2009). "MP's expenses". mySociety. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Watford
1997–2010 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
2008–2009		Succeeded by
Preceded by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice
2009–2010		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Office established
 Mayor of the East Midlands
2024–present		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Alun Parry
 Youth representative on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party
1992–1995		Succeeded by
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