Angela Eagle
Encyclopedia
Angela Eagle is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Wallasey
since 1992
. She served as the Minister of State
for Pensions and Ageing Society
from June 2009 until May 2010. Eagle was elected to the Shadow Cabinet
in October 2010 and was appointed by Ed Miliband
to be Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. On 7 October 2011, she was appointed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
when Miliband reshuffled his Shadow Cabinet
.
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, the daughter of a printworker, she was educated at St. Peter's C of E primary school, Formby High School
, and St John's College, Oxford
where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1983, and where she was also chairwoman of the Oxford University Fabian Society
1980-1983. She worked briefly in the economic directorate of the Confederation of British Industry
(CBI) in 1984, before working for the Confederation of Health Service Employees
(COHSE) later in the year. At COHSE, she held several positions, leaving on her election to Parliament
in the capacity of Parliamentary officer. She was elected secretary for the Constituency Labour Party in Peckham
for two years from 1989.
when she defeated the Minister for Overseas Development at the Foreign Office
Lynda Chalker
by 3,809 votes, and has remained an MP since. She made her maiden speech
on 11 May 1992.
In parliament she became a member of the Employment Select Committee in 1994, and was promoted by Tony Blair
in 1996 to the position of an Opposition Whip
, and became a member of the Blair government following the 1997 general election
as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, moving to the Department of Social Security
in 1998. Following the 2001 general election
, she was a junior minister at the Home Office
but was sacked by Blair in 2002. She has been a member of the Treasury Select Committee since 2003. She returned to the government under Gordon Brown
on 29 June 2007 Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
, the most junior minister at HM Treasury
. She was promoted to Minister of State
at the Department for Work and Pensions
in the June 2009 reshuffle.
Following Ed Miliband
's accession to Labour Leader, Eagle was elected
to his shadow cabinet
, finishing tied 4th in the vote and was subsequently appointed to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
briefing, shadowing Danny Alexander
.
In April 2011, Eagle was famously put down in the House of Commons by prime minister David Cameron
when he used Michael Winner
's catchphrase "Calm down, dear", in a way that was widely regarded as patronising. Eagle's colleague, deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman
, stated "Women in Britain in the 21st century do not expect to be told to 'calm down, dear' by their Prime Minister, with
Labour officials calling for an apology, suggesting the remark was patronising and sexist. However it soon emerged that Cameron had previously used the same line in the Commons to a male MP, David Miliband
.
tabled a motion suggesting that the country was facing an 'extreme bubble in the housing market' and the 'risk of recession
'. Eagle responded stating "Fortunately for all of us...that colourful and lurid fiction
has no real bearing on the macro-economic reality
." In 2009 Jeremy Browne
, who led the debate reflected on her comments, stating "A year ago, Angela Eagle’s comments summed up the Government’s delusional attitude. We had been warning for months that we faced a housing market collapse and a serious recession, but ministers did not want to hear it. Their failure to face up to reality left the country dangerously unprepared for the crisis that now confronts us."
championship in 1976.
She gained the distinction of becoming the British Parliament's first lesbian
member by coming out
in September 1997 in an interview with The Observer
. Maureen Colquhoun
, an earlier lesbian MP, did not declare her sexuality until after she was elected to Parliament. The first out lesbian MP at the time of election is Margot James
.
In September 2008, Eagle entered into a civil partnership
with Maria Exall.
Eagle was joined in the House of Commons at the 1997 general election by her twin sister, Maria Eagle
; they thus became the first set of twin
s to sit in the House. She and her sister are currently the only pair of sisters in the Commons. She was ranked in the top 50 on The Independent
s 'Pink List' of the 101 most influential gay men and women in Britain 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Wallasey
Wallasey (UK Parliament constituency)
Wallasey is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
since 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
. She served as the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for Pensions and Ageing Society
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
from June 2009 until May 2010. Eagle was elected to the Shadow Cabinet
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.A separate election for...
in October 2010 and was appointed by Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
to be Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. On 7 October 2011, she was appointed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House in arranging Commons business and holding the Government to account in its overall management of the House...
when Miliband reshuffled his Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband became Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition upon being elected to the former post on 25 September 2010. The election was triggered by Gordon Brown's resignation following the party's fall from power at the 2010 general election, which yielded a Conservative – Liberal...
.
Education
Born in BridlingtonBridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, the daughter of a printworker, she was educated at St. Peter's C of E primary school, Formby High School
Formby High School
Formby High School is a comprehensive secondary school located in the town of Formby, Merseyside. The school is one of two comprehensive secondary schools in Formby, the other being Range High School. In 2002, the school was awarded specialist school status of an Arts College which allows the...
, and St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1983, and where she was also chairwoman of the Oxford University Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
1980-1983. She worked briefly in the economic directorate of the Confederation of British Industry
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
(CBI) in 1984, before working for the Confederation of Health Service Employees
Confederation of Health Service Employees
The Confederation of Health Service Employees was a United Kingdom trade union representing workers primarily in the National Health Service...
(COHSE) later in the year. At COHSE, she held several positions, leaving on her election to Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
in the capacity of Parliamentary officer. She was elected secretary for the Constituency Labour Party in Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
for two years from 1989.
Parliamentary career
Eagle was first elected in the 1992 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
when she defeated the Minister for Overseas Development at the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
Lynda Chalker
Lynda Chalker
Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey PC is a British Conservative politician who was Member of Parliament for Wallasey from 1974 to 1992...
by 3,809 votes, and has remained an MP since. She made her maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 11 May 1992.
In parliament she became a member of the Employment Select Committee in 1994, and was promoted by Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
in 1996 to the position of an Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, and became a member of the Blair government following the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, moving to the Department of Social Security
Department of Social Security
The Department of Social Security is the name of a defunct governmental agency in the United Kingdom.The DSS replaced the older Department of Health and Social Security, from 1988 until 2001, when it was itself largely replaced as a department of the Government of the United Kingdom by the...
in 1998. Following the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, she was a junior minister at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
but was sacked by Blair in 2002. She has been a member of the Treasury Select Committee since 2003. She returned to the government under Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
on 29 June 2007 Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in the British Treasury, ranked below the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury....
, the most junior minister at HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
. She was promoted to Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
in the June 2009 reshuffle.
Following Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's accession to Labour Leader, Eagle was elected
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.A separate election for...
to his shadow cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
, finishing tied 4th in the vote and was subsequently appointed to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
briefing, shadowing Danny Alexander
Danny Alexander
Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
.
In April 2011, Eagle was famously put down in the House of Commons by prime minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
when he used Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
's catchphrase "Calm down, dear", in a way that was widely regarded as patronising. Eagle's colleague, deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, stated "Women in Britain in the 21st century do not expect to be told to 'calm down, dear' by their Prime Minister, with
Labour officials calling for an apology, suggesting the remark was patronising and sexist. However it soon emerged that Cameron had previously used the same line in the Commons to a male MP, David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
.
Statements on the economy
In April 2008 Eagle took part in a debate in Parliament on the UK economy in which the Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
tabled a motion suggesting that the country was facing an 'extreme bubble in the housing market' and the 'risk of recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
'. Eagle responded stating "Fortunately for all of us...that colourful and lurid fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
has no real bearing on the macro-economic reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
." In 2009 Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Richard Browne is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005 and a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.-Early life and education:...
, who led the debate reflected on her comments, stating "A year ago, Angela Eagle’s comments summed up the Government’s delusional attitude. We had been warning for months that we faced a housing market collapse and a serious recession, but ministers did not want to hear it. Their failure to face up to reality left the country dangerously unprepared for the crisis that now confronts us."
Personal life
Eagle was joint winner of the British Girls' Under-18 chessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
championship in 1976.
She gained the distinction of becoming the British Parliament's first lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
member by coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
in September 1997 in an interview with The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. Maureen Colquhoun
Maureen Colquhoun
Maureen Morfydd Colquhoun is a British economist and Labour Party politician.-Education:She attended the London School of Economics and later worked as a literary research assistant.-Political career:...
, an earlier lesbian MP, did not declare her sexuality until after she was elected to Parliament. The first out lesbian MP at the time of election is Margot James
Margot James
Margot James MP is a British politician and entrepreneur. She is currently a Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for women, and the Member of Parliament for the consituency of Stourbridge. She is the first openly lesbian MP in the Conservative Party...
.
In September 2008, Eagle entered into a civil partnership
Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom
Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom, granted under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, give same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage...
with Maria Exall.
Eagle was joined in the House of Commons at the 1997 general election by her twin sister, Maria Eagle
Maria Eagle
Maria Eagle is a British solicitor and Labour Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament for Garston and Halewood, having been the MP for Liverpool Garston from 1997 to 2010....
; they thus became the first set of twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
s to sit in the House. She and her sister are currently the only pair of sisters in the Commons. She was ranked in the top 50 on The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s 'Pink List' of the 101 most influential gay men and women in Britain 2009.
External links
- Angela Eagle MP official site
- Angela Eagle named no. 47 on Gay Power: The Pink List 2009 (Britain's 101 most influential gay men and women) The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 2 July 2009