Kerry McCarthy
Encyclopedia
Kerry Gillian McCarthy (born 26 March 1965) is a British Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bristol East
since 2005
.
parents Oliver Haughney and Sheila Rix. She attended the single sex Denbigh High School
followed by Luton Sixth Form college. MacCarthy went to Liverpool University reading Russian Studies
, she then studied law at City of London Polytechnic. McCarthy began a doctorate on Labour links with the City
at Goldsmith's College, though did not complete it.
She was a councillor in Luton
and for a short period of time volunteered in the Legal Department of the Labour Party. She was also a member of the Labour's National Policy Forum
. She is a qualified solicitor
.
.
McCarthy was appointed a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and was involved in its inquiries into financial inclusion, globalisation and the role of the International Monetary Fund
, and the administration of tax credits. She has also sat on two Finance Bill committees, as well as the UK Borders Bill Committee, the Offender Management Bill Committee and the Mental Health Bill Committee. She is described as a Gordon Brown
loyalist, stating in 2005 that "The Chancellor's nine Budgets are the bedrock of all that we have achieved in government".
In April 2007, McCarthy was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to Rosie Winterton
, Minister for Health Services, and helped her steer the Mental Health Bill
through the Commons. From July 2007 to January 2009, she worked as the PPS to Douglas Alexander
, the Secretary of State for International Development, before being made a Junior Whip
in June 2009.
She is also chair of the South West Group of Labour MPs, secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
on Somaliland
, a member of Labour's National Policy Forum
, and lead contact for the End Child Poverty campaign amongst Labour MPs in parliament. She has not voted against the party line since March 2007.
She was re-elected at the 2010 General Election, with her majority reduced by more than a half. She was appointed as a temporary shadow Minister for work and pensions until October 2010 when she was appointed as a junior shadow Minister to the Treasury. McCarthy had supported Ed Balls
' unsuccessful bid to become Labour leader.
She is believed to be the first MP to deliver a speech in Parliament with the aid of an iPad
.
On World Vegan Day
in November 2011, McCarthy became the first MP to set out the case for becoming vegan
in Parliament.
In October 2010 McCarthy admitted a charge of electoral fraud
, accepting a police caution
for revealing on Twitter
the number of postal votes cast per party in her constituency at the 2010 election. McCarthy apologised for her actions.
, and has given talks on the subject and was a presenter at the Vegan Society
's 2005 annual awards. She lives in Bristol
and London
and also part owns property in Luton
.
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 Bristol East
Bristol East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol East 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 2005
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....
.
Early life
McCarthy was born in Luton to IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
parents Oliver Haughney and Sheila Rix. She attended the single sex Denbigh High School
Denbigh High School, Luton
Denbigh High School is an academy in Luton, England. The school has approximately 1120 students between the ages of 11 and 16 and the school became an academy in 2010....
followed by Luton Sixth Form college. MacCarthy went to Liverpool University reading Russian Studies
Russian Studies
Russian studies is a field of study first developed during the Cold War. It is an interdisciplinary field crossing history and language studies. It is closely related to Soviet and Communist studies...
, she then studied law at City of London Polytechnic. McCarthy began a doctorate on Labour links with the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
at Goldsmith's College, though did not complete it.
She was a councillor in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
and for a short period of time volunteered in the Legal Department of the Labour Party. She was also a member of the Labour's National Policy Forum
National Policy Forum
The National Policy Forum of the British Labour Party is part of the policy-making system of the Party, set up by Leader Tony Blair as part of the Partnership in Power process....
. She is a qualified solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
Parliamentary career
In 2005, McCarthy was selected as the Labour candidate for Bristol East through an all-women shortlist. She continued to stand, and was elected in the 2005 general electionUnited 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....
.
McCarthy was appointed a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and was involved in its inquiries into financial inclusion, globalisation and the role of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, and the administration of tax credits. She has also sat on two Finance Bill committees, as well as the UK Borders Bill Committee, the Offender Management Bill Committee and the Mental Health Bill Committee. She is described as a 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...
loyalist, stating in 2005 that "The Chancellor's nine Budgets are the bedrock of all that we have achieved in government".
In April 2007, McCarthy was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
, Minister for Health Services, and helped her steer the Mental Health Bill
Mental Health Act 2007
The Mental Act 2007 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It amends the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It applies to people in England and Wales. Most of the Act was implemented on 3 November 2008....
through the Commons. From July 2007 to January 2009, she worked as the PPS to Douglas Alexander
Douglas Alexander
Douglas Garven Alexander is a British Labour Party politician, who is currently the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the shadow cabinet of Ed Miliband. He has held cabinet posts under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Secretary of State for Scotland and...
, the Secretary of State for International Development, before being made a Junior 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...
in June 2009.
She is also chair of the South West Group of Labour MPs, secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
All-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
on Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
, a member of Labour's National Policy Forum
National Policy Forum
The National Policy Forum of the British Labour Party is part of the policy-making system of the Party, set up by Leader Tony Blair as part of the Partnership in Power process....
, and lead contact for the End Child Poverty campaign amongst Labour MPs in parliament. She has not voted against the party line since March 2007.
She was re-elected at the 2010 General Election, with her majority reduced by more than a half. She was appointed as a temporary shadow Minister for work and pensions until October 2010 when she was appointed as a junior shadow Minister to the Treasury. McCarthy had supported Ed Balls
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
' unsuccessful bid to become Labour leader.
She is believed to be the first MP to deliver a speech in Parliament with the aid of an iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
On World Vegan Day
World Vegan Day
World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated on 1 November, by vegans around the world. The Day was established in 1944 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of The Vegan Society UK....
in November 2011, McCarthy became the first MP to set out the case for becoming vegan
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
in Parliament.
Controversies
In May 2009 McCarthy repaid £402 for a second bed claimed in expenses for her one bedroom flat. She stated the claim had been made in error.In October 2010 McCarthy admitted a charge of electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
, accepting a police caution
Police caution
A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases, administered by the police and other law enforcement agencies in England and Wales, and in Hong Kong...
for revealing on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
the number of postal votes cast per party in her constituency at the 2010 election. McCarthy apologised for her actions.
Personal life
McCarthy is a veganVeganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
, and has given talks on the subject and was a presenter at the Vegan Society
Vegan Society
The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded on November 1, 1944, in England by Donald Watson, Elsie "Sally" Shrigley, and 23 others....
's 2005 annual awards. She lives in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and also part owns property in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
.
External links
- Kerry McCarthy's blog
- Kerry McCarthy on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...