Claire Curtis-Thomas
Encyclopedia
Claire Curtis-Thomas is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Crosby
from 1997
to 2010.
, she was educated at the Mynyddbach Comprehensive School for Girls (since September 2001 known as Daniel James Community School after merging with the Penlan Boys School) on Heol Ddu, Treboeth, Swansea
, and studied at University College, Cardiff
where she was awarded a BSc
degree in mechanical engineering
, and at Aston University
, where she obtained a MBA
. She was awarded an honorary PhD
in Technology
in 1999.
She became a researcher at University College of Wales in Cardiff in 1984, before joining Shell Chemicals
, initially as a site mechanical engineer, moving internally in 1988 as the Head of UK Supply and Distribution, and after 1990 was head of environmental strategy until leaving Shell in 1992. She became research head and development laboratory at with the Birmingham City Council
in 1992, before moving internally to be the strategy and business planning head in 1993, leaving the council in 1995. In 1996 she was appointed as a Business and Engineering Dean at the University of Wales, Newport
, and remained there until the following year, when she was elected to Westminster
. She was elected as a councillor to the Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council in 1995, stepping down in 1997. Also in 1995, she was elected the secretary of the Eddisbury
Constituency Labour Party
.
for the parliamentary constituency of Crosby. She defeated the sitting Conservative
MP Malcolm Thornton
by 7,182 votes, although her majority declined in the 2005 general election, standing at 5,840, holding approximately 48% of the vote in her constituency. She made her maiden speech
, during a debate on the adjournment which she secured on the subject of engineering, on 31 July 1997.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970731/debtext/70731-36.htm#70731-36_spnew7
On being elected to parliament she changed her name to Claire Curtis-Thomas, which was a combination of her mother's maiden name of 'Curtis' and her mother's second husband's surname, 'Thomas'). After her election she became a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee, on which she sat for the entirety of her first parliament. In 2003 she became a member of the Home Affairs
Select Committee, and after the 2005 General Election
she has been a member of the Trade and Industry Committee.
In 2003/2004, she had the highest expenses of any politician in Parliament, and was second highest in 2002/2003. For instance, she records very high postage bills. She is one of the few engineers in Parliament, and has started an all-party parliamentary group Women in Science, Engineering and Design (WISED).
She is also involved with the Waterloo Partnership
, a charity based in her constituency which raises money for Waterloo, Sierra Leone
.
In June 2006, she introduced the Regulation of Sale and Display of Sexually Explicit Material Bill to stop newsagents selling certain men's magazines. It never became law due to lack of parliamentary time.
Her Crosby constituency disappeared under constituency boundary changes and is succeeded by a Sefton Central
seat that is a Labour - Conservative marginal, which was won by Labour in the general election.
On 7 October 2009, Curtis-Thomas announced her decision to stand down at the 2010 general election.
; they have a son together and two daughters (from her previous marriage to Philip Huw Tansley).
Curtis-Thomas stood for the 1997 election as Claire Curtis-Tansley.
She was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic faith in November 2003.
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 who was 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 Crosby
Crosby (UK Parliament constituency)
Crosby was a constituency in Merseyside, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
from 1997
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...
to 2010.
Early life
Born in NeathNeath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, she was educated at the Mynyddbach Comprehensive School for Girls (since September 2001 known as Daniel James Community School after merging with the Penlan Boys School) on Heol Ddu, Treboeth, Swansea
Treboeth
Treboeth is a village in the Mynydd-Bach ward of Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales.Gwyrosydd Primary School is located in Treboeth. The local secondary school is the Daniel James Community School...
, and studied at University College, Cardiff
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
where she was awarded a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, and at Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
, where she obtained a MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
. She was awarded an honorary PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
in 1999.
She became a researcher at University College of Wales in Cardiff in 1984, before joining Shell Chemicals
Shell Chemicals
Shell Chemicals is the petrochemicals arm of Royal Dutch Shell. The name "Shell Chemicals" refers to the nearly seventy companies engaged in chemicals businesses for Shell, which together make up one of the largest petrochemical producers in the world....
, initially as a site mechanical engineer, moving internally in 1988 as the Head of UK Supply and Distribution, and after 1990 was head of environmental strategy until leaving Shell in 1992. She became research head and development laboratory at with the Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
in 1992, before moving internally to be the strategy and business planning head in 1993, leaving the council in 1995. In 1996 she was appointed as a Business and Engineering Dean at the University of Wales, Newport
University of Wales, Newport
The University of Wales, Newport is a university based in Newport, South Wales. The university has two campuses; Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city and a £35 million campus on the banks of the River Usk in Newport city centre opened in 2011...
, and remained there until the following year, when she was elected to Westminster
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...
. She was elected as a councillor to the Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council in 1995, stepping down in 1997. Also in 1995, she was elected the secretary of the Eddisbury
Eddisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Eddisbury is a county 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 :...
Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
.
Parliamentary career
She was elected to the House of Commons at her first attempt at the 1997 general electionUnited 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...
for the parliamentary constituency of Crosby. She defeated the sitting Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Malcolm Thornton
Malcolm Thornton
Sir George Malcolm Thornton , known as Malcolm Thornton, is a British Conservative politician.Thornton was first elected to Parliament in the 1979 general election, winning the marginal seat of Liverpool Garston from Labour's Eddie Loyden. In the early 1980s, however, all seats were re-organised...
by 7,182 votes, although her majority declined in the 2005 general election, standing at 5,840, holding approximately 48% of the vote in her constituency. 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...
, during a debate on the adjournment which she secured on the subject of engineering, on 31 July 1997.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970731/debtext/70731-36.htm#70731-36_spnew7
On being elected to parliament she changed her name to Claire Curtis-Thomas, which was a combination of her mother's maiden name of 'Curtis' and her mother's second husband's surname, 'Thomas'). After her election she became a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee, on which she sat for the entirety of her first parliament. In 2003 she became a member of the Home Affairs
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,...
Select Committee, and after the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
she has been a member of the Trade and Industry Committee.
In 2003/2004, she had the highest expenses of any politician in Parliament, and was second highest in 2002/2003. For instance, she records very high postage bills. She is one of the few engineers in Parliament, and has started an all-party parliamentary group Women in Science, Engineering and Design (WISED).
She is also involved with the Waterloo Partnership
Waterloo Partnership
The Waterloo Partnership is a British Charity based in Waterloo and Crosby areas of Liverpool raises money for its Sierra Leone namesake.Sierra Leone has now emerged from a period of Civil War and is one of the poorest countries in the world....
, a charity based in her constituency which raises money for Waterloo, Sierra Leone
Waterloo, Sierra Leone
Waterloo is the second largest city in the Western Area of Sierra Leone and a suburb of Freetown. The population of Waterloo was estimated at 19,750 in 2006. Waterloo lies just 18 miles east of Freetown -Socio-historical perspectives:...
.
In June 2006, she introduced the Regulation of Sale and Display of Sexually Explicit Material Bill to stop newsagents selling certain men's magazines. It never became law due to lack of parliamentary time.
Her Crosby constituency disappeared under constituency boundary changes and is succeeded by a Sefton Central
Sefton Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Sefton Central 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...
seat that is a Labour - Conservative marginal, which was won by Labour in the general election.
On 7 October 2009, Curtis-Thomas announced her decision to stand down at the 2010 general election.
Personal life
She married Colin Twiss in 1976 in Swansea Guildhall and was divorced 6 years later in 1982 during this period she was known as Claire Curtis Twiss. Claire went on to marry Philip Tansley in December 1984 in South Glamorgan, she was then divorced in 1995. She married Michael Louis Jakub in December 1996 in CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
; they have a son together and two daughters (from her previous marriage to Philip Huw Tansley).
Curtis-Thomas stood for the 1997 election as Claire Curtis-Tansley.
She was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic faith in November 2003.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Claire Curtis-Thomas MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Claire Curtis-Thomas MP
- 2005 General Election results for the Crosby Constituency.
- BBC Politics Profile
News items
- Trying to limit sale of mens' magazines in June 2006
- Bill contested in Parliament in June 2006
- Telegraph article June 2006
- Highlighting in the Independent on Sunday her views on mens magazines in June 2006
- Husband given fixed penalty for defacing Conservative posters in the 2005 election campaign
- The link between cancer and abortions in January 2004
- National Newspaper article on 2004 Expenses
- MP resigns over 'ludicrous hours'