Glenys Kinnock
Encyclopedia
Glenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (born Glenys Elizabeth Parry, 7 July 1944) is a British
politician.
She was a Labour Party
Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) from 1994 to 2009. She is the wife of Neil Kinnock
, who was leader of the Labour Party
from 1983 to 1992. When Neil Kinnock received a life peer
age in 2005, Glenys became entitled to the style "Lady Kinnock", which she chose not to use. She was awarded a life peer
age when she joined the government in 2009. She and her husband are one of the few couples to both hold titles – in this case a Life Peerage – in their own right. She is currently the Opposition Spokesperson for the Department of International Development in the House of Lords
.
, Northamptonshire
, and educated at Holyhead High School
, Anglesey
. She graduated in 1965 from University College, Cardiff
in education and history. She met her future husband Neil Kinnock
at university and married him in 1967. She has worked as a teacher in secondary, primary, infant and nursery schools, including the Wykeham Primary School, Neasden
, London. She is a member of the GMB, the Co-operative Party
, and the NUT
. She speaks Welsh
.
from 1994 until 2009, where she was a member of the PES
political group. She was a Member of the European Parliament's Development and Co-operation Committee
and a substitute member of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
. She was also co-president of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
from 2002 until 2009 and was Labour spokesperson on International Development in the European Parliament.
In November 2006 Glenys Kinnock was criticised in the press for "taking a junket" to Barbados
to discuss world poverty issues. She was co-presiding over the 12th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
which was invited by the Barbados government to discuss international aid and development.
On 18 January 2009 Glenys Kinnock revealed on the BBC
's The Andrew Marr Show that she and Neil Kinnock had received a personal invitation from Joe Biden
to attend Barack Obama
's presidential inauguration on 20 January 2009 at the United States Capitol
in Washington, D.C.
In 2004, Glenys Kinnock was caught up in an expenses scandal. MEP Hans-Peter Martin claimed to have caught 194 colleagues receiving the European Parliament's attendance allowance. Kinnock was among those MEPs whom Martin found and filmed leaving the building just moments after they had signed in for the day to qualify for their £175-a-day allowance, in addition to their £70,000 salaries as MEPs.
. To enable her to join the government, she was awarded a life peer
age and became Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, of Holyhead
in the County of Ynys Môn, on 30 June 2009. She was introduced to the House of Lords
on the same day.
In September 2009 The Daily Telegraph
listed Baroness Kinnock as the UK's 38th 'Most influential Left-winger', stating: "People working closely with the new minister have asked why on earth better use had not been made of her sooner. She has impressed civil servants and, more importantly, made a good impression on visits and in meetings abroad." .
From 12 October 2009 to 11 May 2010 Glenys Kinnock served as Minister of State with responsibility for Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and the UN, filling a post left vacant after the resignation of Lord Malloch Brown. Baroness Kinnock has long been a campaigner on issues relating to Africa and the Caribbean and cemented her reputation as an expert on the regions during her time as a Member of the European Parliament and as co-president of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
.
.
She is a patron, president or board member of a number of charitable organisations, including Saferworld, Drop the Debt, EdUKaid, Parliamentarians for Global Action, The Burma Campaign UK
, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Voluntary Service Overseas
, Freedom from Torture, and the British Humanist Association
. She is also Patron to Snap Cymru, a Welsh children's charity. Council member of Overseas Development Institute Member of Advisory Board of Global Winess
She founded One World Action
(formerly The Bernt Carlsson Trust) on 21 December 1989, exactly one year after UN Commissioner for Namibia, Bernt Carlsson
, was killed in the Pan Am Flight 103
crash. In December 2007, a United Nations inquiry was called for into Bernt Carlsson's death.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
, an honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Newport
, and the University of Wales, Bangor. She holds honorary Doctorates from Thames Valley University
, Brunel University
and Kingston University
.
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British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
politician.
She was a 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...
Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) from 1994 to 2009. She is the wife of Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, who was leader of the 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...
from 1983 to 1992. When Neil Kinnock received a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
age in 2005, Glenys became entitled to the style "Lady Kinnock", which she chose not to use. She was awarded a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
age when she joined the government in 2009. She and her husband are one of the few couples to both hold titles – in this case a Life Peerage – in their own right. She is currently the Opposition Spokesperson for the Department of International Development in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Early life
Glenys Kinnock was born at RoadeRoade
Roade is a village in Northamptonshire, England and in the area of the South Northamptonshire District Council where it is in the two-member Blisworth and Roade ward.-Location:...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, and educated at Holyhead High School
Holyhead High School
Holyhead High School was the first comprehensive school in England and Wales, opening in 1949 as Holyhead County School.-History:The school was formed in 1949 with the amalgamation of Holyhead Grammar and St Cybi Secondary school. Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch is said to claim the title of the...
, Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
. She graduated in 1965 from 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...
in education and history. She met her future husband Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
at university and married him in 1967. She has worked as a teacher in secondary, primary, infant and nursery schools, including the Wykeham Primary School, Neasden
Neasden
Neasden is an area in northwest London, UK. It forms part of the London Borough of Brent.-History:The area was recorded as Neasdun in 939 AD and the name is derived from the Old English nēos = 'nose' and dūn = 'hill'. It means 'the nose-shaped hill' referring to a well-defined landmark of this area...
, London. She is a member of the GMB, the Co-operative Party
Co-operative Party
The Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
, and the NUT
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
. She speaks Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
.
European Parliament
Kinnock represented Wales in the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
from 1994 until 2009, where she was a member of the PES
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
political group. She was a Member of the European Parliament's Development and Co-operation Committee
Committee on Development
The Committee on Development is a standing committee of the European Parliament responsible for promoting, implementing and monitoring the development and cooperation policy of the European Union, notably talks with developing countries; aid to developing countries; and promotion of democratic...
and a substitute member of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs is a standing committee of the European Parliament.-External links:*...
. She was also co-president of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement.Since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union...
from 2002 until 2009 and was Labour spokesperson on International Development in the European Parliament.
In November 2006 Glenys Kinnock was criticised in the press for "taking a junket" to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
to discuss world poverty issues. She was co-presiding over the 12th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement.Since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union...
which was invited by the Barbados government to discuss international aid and development.
On 18 January 2009 Glenys Kinnock revealed on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's The Andrew Marr Show that she and Neil Kinnock had received a personal invitation from Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
to attend Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential inauguration on 20 January 2009 at the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 2004, Glenys Kinnock was caught up in an expenses scandal. MEP Hans-Peter Martin claimed to have caught 194 colleagues receiving the European Parliament's attendance allowance. Kinnock was among those MEPs whom Martin found and filmed leaving the building just moments after they had signed in for the day to qualify for their £175-a-day allowance, in addition to their £70,000 salaries as MEPs.
United Kingdom Parliament
In the 2009 cabinet reshuffle, Kinnock was appointed Minister for Europe following the resignation of Caroline FlintCaroline Flint
Caroline Louise Flint is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Don Valley since 1997. She served as the Minister of State for Housing and Planning in 2008, and later as the Minister for Europe until her resignation in 2009, citing the leadership of Gordon...
. To enable her to join the government, she was awarded a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
age and became Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, of Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
in the County of Ynys Môn, on 30 June 2009. She was introduced to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on the same day.
In September 2009 The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
listed Baroness Kinnock as the UK's 38th 'Most influential Left-winger', stating: "People working closely with the new minister have asked why on earth better use had not been made of her sooner. She has impressed civil servants and, more importantly, made a good impression on visits and in meetings abroad." .
From 12 October 2009 to 11 May 2010 Glenys Kinnock served as Minister of State with responsibility for Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and the UN, filling a post left vacant after the resignation of Lord Malloch Brown. Baroness Kinnock has long been a campaigner on issues relating to Africa and the Caribbean and cemented her reputation as an expert on the regions during her time as a Member of the European Parliament and as co-president of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement.Since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union...
.
Patron and honours
Baroness Kinnock is a Council Member of the European Council on Foreign RelationsEuropean Council on Foreign Relations
The ' is the first pan-European think tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy....
.
She is a patron, president or board member of a number of charitable organisations, including Saferworld, Drop the Debt, EdUKaid, Parliamentarians for Global Action, The Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Voluntary Service Overseas
Voluntary Service Overseas
Voluntary Service Overseas is an international development charity that works through experienced volunteers living and working as equals alongside local partners. It is the largest independent volunteer-sending organization in the world...
, Freedom from Torture, and the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
. She is also Patron to Snap Cymru, a Welsh children's charity. Council member of Overseas Development Institute Member of Advisory Board of Global Winess
She founded One World Action
One World Action
One World Action is a charity based in London whose aims are a world free from poverty and oppression, where strong democracies safeguard people's rights....
(formerly The Bernt Carlsson Trust) on 21 December 1989, exactly one year after UN Commissioner for Namibia, Bernt Carlsson
Bernt Carlsson
Bernt Wilmar Carlsson was Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations and United Nations Commissioner for Namibia from July 1987 until he died on Pan Am Flight 103, which was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland on 21 December 1988.-Social democrat:A native of Stockholm, Carlsson joined the...
, was killed in the Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
crash. In December 2007, a United Nations inquiry was called for into Bernt Carlsson's death.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
, an honorary Fellow of 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 the University of Wales, Bangor. She holds honorary Doctorates from Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University
The University of West London is a public university based in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in Ealing and Brentford, London, and Reading, Berkshire....
, Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
and Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
.
Publications
- Voices for One World, 1987
- Eritrea - images of war and peace, 1988
- Namibia - birth of a nation, 1991
- By Faith and Daring, 1993
- Zimbabwe on the brink, 2002
- "The rape of Darfur", 2006, The Guardian
- "A lethal bully that must be tackled", 2006, The Times
- "The need for an ethical foreign policy, Mark II", 2007, The Independent
External links
- Profile at European Parliament website
- Speeches made in the European Parliament
- Mrs Kinnock, co-president of the ACP EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
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