Paula Barker

Last updated

2023
Paula Barker
MP
Official portrait of Paula Barker MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Wavertree
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019		 Devolution and English Regions

Barker was employed in local government for almost 30 years.[ citation needed ] She moved from Liverpool City Council for a promotion at neighbouring Knowsley Council to work in Customer Services, where she spent around four years. In 2001, she joined Halton Borough Council, where she progressively became more active in her trade union, UNISON.[ citation needed ] She held the position of Halton Branch Secretary for UNISON and in May 2015 became its North West Regional Convenor, taking over from Angela Rayner. [4] [3]

Parliamentary career

At the 2019 general election, Barker was elected to Parliament as MP for Liverpool Wavertree with 72.2% of the vote and a majority of 27,085. [5] [6] Barker made her maiden speech on 4 February 2020, becoming one of the first of the new MPs from the 2019 general election to do so. In it, she outlined the rich diversity of the Liverpool Wavertree constituency, whilst also pointing out to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government that it is local representatives who know what is best for their constituencies. [7]

Since that maiden speech, Barker has called upon the Government to enact meaningful reform of the social care market. [8] She also sponsored the Private Members Bill put forward by Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, on proposed changes to the law regarding school uniforms.

Barker served as a member of the Justice Select Committee [9] between May 2020 and July 2021 and is currently a Member of Home Affairs Select Committee and became PPS to Shadow Defence Minister, John Healey in March 2022. [10]

In February 2022, Barker was re-selected as the Labour candidate for the new Liverpool Wavertree constituency to stand at the 2024 general election. [11] .

She was appointed Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping on 28 October 2022. In the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions. [12]

She is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East. [13] On 15 November 2023, she resigned from the frontbench to vote for a SNP motion demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. [14]

In May 2024, PoliticsHome reported that Barker had left the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs. [15]

Barker was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Liverpool Wavertree at the 2024 general election with a decreased vote share of 58% and a decreased majority of 16,304. [16]

In October 2024 she was appointed to the Parliamentary Committee on Standards [17] as well as the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges [18] and serves as Vice Chair of both. She also remains Co-Chair of the APPG for ending homelessness and rough sleeping [19] .

Barker is a co-sponsor of Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Eagle</span> British politician (born 1961)

Dame Angela Eagle DBE is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wallasey since 1992. Eagle has served as Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum since July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Eagle</span> British Labour politician

Maria Eagle is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Garston, previously Garston and Halewood, since 1997. She has served as Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry in the Ministry of Defence since July 2024. She served in the Shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Jones</span> British Labour politician

Helen Mary Jones is a British Labour politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Warrington North from 1997 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Kennedy (politician)</span> British Independent politician

Jane Elizabeth Kennedy is a British politician and the inaugural Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Wavertree, formerly Liverpool Broadgreen, from 1992 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Twigg</span> British Labour politician

John Derek Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who currently serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Widnes and Halewood since 2024, and for its predecessor constituency, Halton, from the 1997 general election until its abolition in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hanson, Baron Hanson of Flint</span> British politician (born 1957)

David George Hanson, Baron Hanson of Flint,, is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Minister of State for the Home Office since July 2024. He previously served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Delyn from 1992 to 2019. He held several ministerial offices in the Blair and Brown governments, serving in the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Wales Office, the Northern Ireland Office and the Whips' Office. Hanson sat on Ed Miliband's opposition front bench as a shadow treasury minister, and later the shadow immigration minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Wavertree (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918-1983 and 1997 onwards

Liverpool Wavertree is a borough constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1997 and every election since has been won by a Labour Party candidate. It has been represented by Paula Barker since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Hodgson</span> British politician (born 1966)

Sharon Hodgson is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Washington and Gateshead South since 2024, and previously for Washington and Sunderland West and Gateshead East and Washington West from 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she has chaired the Finance Committee since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katy Clark</span> Scottish politician and life peer (born 1967)

Kathryn Sloan Clark, Baroness Clark of Kilwinning, is a British politician and life peer who has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for North Ayrshire and Arran from 2005 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luciana Berger</span> British Labour politician

Luciana Clare Berger is a former British politician who served as Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree from 2010 to 2019. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, she was a founding member of The Independent Group, later Change UK, before joining the Liberal Democrats. Berger rejoined Labour in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilian Greenwood</span> British Labour politician

Lilian Rachel Greenwood is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham South since 2010, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Future of Roads since July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison McGovern</span> British politician

Alison McGovern is a British Labour politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birkenhead since 2024, and previously Wirral South since 2010. She has served as Minister of State for Employment since July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Onn</span> British Labour politician

Melanie Onn is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she previously served as MP for Great Grimsby from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Hayes (politician)</span> British politician

Helen Elizabeth Hayes is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dulwich and West Norwood since 2015. She was subsequently elected Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee in September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Sherriff</span> British politician

Paula Michelle Sherriff is a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dewsbury from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Twist</span> British politician (born 1956)

Mary Elizabeth Twist is a British Labour Party politician. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blaydon from the 2017 general election until the seat's abolition in 2024. She then stood for reelection during the 2024 general election in the newly formed constituency of Blaydon and Consett which she won. Before her parliamentary career, she was the head of health in the North-East for the trade union, UNISON, and a local councillor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Peacock</span> British Labour politician

Stephanie Louise Peacock is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Barnsley South, previously Barnsley East, since 2017. She has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth since July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna McMorrin</span> British politician (born 1971)

Anna Rhiannon McMorrin is a Welsh politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff North since 2017. A member of Welsh Labour, she has served as Assistant Government Whip since 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Johnson (politician)</span> British Labour politician

Kim Marie Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Riverside since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Owen</span> British Labour politician

Sarah Mei Li Owen is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton North since 2019. She is the first MP of South East Asian descent and the first female MP of Chinese descent.

References

  1. ↑ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 260. ISBN   978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC   1129682574.
  2. 1 2 Barker, Paula (10 March 2020). ""My socialism is aspirational" – Paula Barker's full maiden speech". LabourList. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Paula Barker MP - Who is she?". Politics.co.uk.
  4. ↑ Clay, Oliver (7 August 2015). "Unison branch secretary for Halton takes centre stage with Labour contender as Corbynmania lands in North West". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  5. ↑ "Liverpool Wavertree parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Statement of persons nominated". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "Rating and Valuation - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Social Care - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Parliament.uk". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "Government Source". UK Parliament Library. UK Government. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Paula Barker [@PaulaBarkerMP] (10 February 2022). "🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT🚨 I am truly humbled at this news. I will continue to do my best in fighting for our people across every community of my constituency and hopefully play my part in delivering a Labour Government at the next General Election" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Parliamentary Supporters". LFPME. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ↑ "Labour frontbenchers quit to back Gaza ceasefire motion". BBC News. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "The Labour left under Keir Starmer: 'They're not just sealing the tomb but incinerating it'". Politics Home. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Liverpool Wavertree results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  17. ↑ https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/290/committee-on-standards/membership/
  18. ↑ https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/289/committee-of-privileges/membership/
  19. ↑ https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/241120/homelessness.htm
  20. ↑ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree
2019–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.