Ellie Reeves

Last updated

Lewisham West and Penge (2017–2024)
John Cryer
​
(m. 2012)​
The Right Honourable
The Lady Cryer
MP
Official portrait of Ellie Reeves MP crop 2, 2023.jpg
Official portrait, 2023
Chair of the Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 July 2024
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Children2
Relatives Rachel Reeves (sister)
Alma mater St Catherine's College, Oxford
Occupation
  • Politician
  • barrister
Website Official website

Eleanor Claire Reeves, Baroness Cryer (born 11 December 1980), is a British barrister and politician who has served as Chair of the Labour Party and Minister without Portfolio since July 2024. [2] A member of the Labour Party, she has served as the Member of Parliament for Lewisham West and East Dulwich, formerly Lewisham West and Penge, since 2017. She previously served as Shadow Solicitor General from April 2020 to December 2021 and Shadow Minister for Prisons and Probation from 2021 to 2023.

Contents

Early life and education

Eleanor Reeves [3] was born on 11 December 1980 in Lewisham, the daughter of teachers [4] Graham and Sally Reeves. [5] [6] Her older sister, Rachel, is the Labour MP for Leeds West and Pudsey [7] and the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Reeves grew up in Sydenham and was educated at Adamsrill Primary School and Cator Park Secondary School. [8] She then studied law at St Catherine's College, Oxford, graduating with a bachelor's degree. [9]

Political career

Official portrait, 2017 Official portrait of Ellie Reeves crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2017

Reeves joined the Labour Party at 15, [4] chaired the Oxford University Labour Club in 2001 and was National Chair of Labour Students from 2002 to 2003.

In 2006, she was first elected as a constituency party representative on Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), supported by Progress and Labour First. [10] Reeves was returned to the governing body in subsequent elections, and served as Vice-Chair from 2015 to 2016, [11] until she was defeated by Momentum in 2016. [12] She later served as vice-chair of the London Labour Party. [11] [13]

Parliamentary career

Reeves was selected as the Labour candidate for Lewisham West and Penge in April 2017, chosen over a left-wing Momentum activist. [14] [10]

At the snap 2017 general election, Reeves was elected to Parliament as MP for Lewisham West and Penge, with 66.6% of the vote and a majority of 23,162. [15] [16]

Reeves was appointed to the opposition front bench as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Kate Osamor, Shadow International Development Secretary, in March 2018. [17] On 13 June 2018, Reeves and five other MPs resigned as frontbenchers to vote in favour of remaining in the single market, defying the party whip. [18] [19]

After signing a letter criticising the decision to re-admit Chris Williamson into Labour, Reeves was threatened with deselection by a party member in July 2019. [20] Following backlash, Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote that pregnant MPs would not face deselection and the member withdrew their plans to challenge her. [21]

At the 2019 general election, Reeves was re-elected as MP for Lewisham West and Penge with a decreased vote share of 61.2% and a decreased majority of 21,543. [22] [23]

On 9 April 2020, Reeves was re-appointed to the opposition front bench as Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales. [24]

She served as Labour's political lead for the 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election, [25] in which there was a 7.4% increase in the party's vote share and 10.2% swing from the Conservatives to Labour, however the Conservatives held the seat with a 20.6% majority. [26]

In the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle she joined the Shadow Cabinet as Labour Party Deputy National Campaign Coordinator. [27]

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Reeves' constituency of Lewisham West and Penge was abolished, and replaced with Lewisham West and East Dulwich. At the 2024 general election, Reeves was elected to Parliament as MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich with 59.1% of the vote and a majority of 18,397. [28]

Personal life

Reeves is married to John Cryer, who was a Labour MP from 1997 to 2005 and from 2010 to 2024. [10] Her husband was created a life peer in 2024 after standing down as an MP. [29] [30]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewisham West and East Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2024 onwards

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References

  1. ↑ "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "No. 61961". The London Gazette . 19 June 2017. p. 11776.
  4. 1 2 Forrester, Kate (8 October 2017). "17 From '17: Ellie Reeves On Her Journey Into Politics At A Young Age". HuffPost. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. ↑ Whale, Sebastian (23 May 2020). "Rachel Reeves interview". politicshome. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "The legal eagle who left sisters scuppered". Yorkshire Evening Post . 13 September 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Rampen, Julia (26 April 2017). "How Labour's power-brokers will divide up the party's safe seats". New Statesman . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  8. ↑ Little, Mandy (28 April 2017). "Ellie Reeves to fight for Lewisham West and Penge seat for Labour". London News Online. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "The Year 2017 – alumni magazine for St Catherine's College, Oxford" (PDF). Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Former Labour official Ellie Reeves selected for safe seat in London". LabourList . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 Savage, Michael. "Hard left set for Labour power grab". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Corbyn's Allies Run Rings Round Eddie Izzard". Sky News. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. ↑ Kenber, Billy. "Labour hopefuls aiming for Westminster". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. ↑ "General election 2017: Key Corbyn allies not selected by Labour". BBC News. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Lewisham West and Penge parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  16. ↑ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  17. ↑ Aweys, Suleega (3 March 2018). "Ellie Reeves MP for Lewisham West and Penge gets front bench promotion". East London Lines. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  18. ↑ Culbertson, Alix (14 June 2018). "Six Labour MPs quit frontbench roles over key Brexit vote". Sky News. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  19. ↑ Morris, Nigel (13 June 2018). "Six Labour frontbenchers resign in protest at Labour's Brexit position". i News. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "EXCL Pregnant Labour MP facing deselection threat for signing Chris Williamson statement". Politics Home. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "Corbyn Blocks Activist's Bid To Oust Pregnant Labour MP". HuffPost UK. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "General election 2019". lewisham.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  23. ↑ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  24. ↑ Rodgers, Sienna (9 April 2020). "Shadow ministers appointed as Starmer completes frontbench". LabourList. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  25. ↑ Reeves, Ellie (31 October 2021). "As Labour's political lead on the Old Bexley & Sidcup by-election..." Twitter . Archived from the original on 31 October 2021.
  26. ↑ "Conservatives hold seat in Old Bexley and Sidcup byelection". ITV News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  27. ↑ "Labour reshuffle live: Angela Rayner gets new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles team". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Lewisham West and East Dulwich - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  29. ↑ "No. 64494". The London Gazette . 21 August 2024. p. 16178.
  30. ↑ Whannel, Kate (4 July 2024). "Theresa May and 'bionic' MP awarded peerages". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Lewisham West and Penge
2017–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Lewisham West and East Dulwich
2024–present		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales
2020–2021		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State without Portfolio
2024–present		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Labour Party
2024–present		Incumbent
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