Melanie Johnson
Encyclopedia
Melanie Jane Johnson is a Labour
politician
in the United Kingdom
.
in Clifton
, Bristol. Leaving Bristol for London, Johnson studied at University College London
, gaining a BA
in Philosophy and Ancient Greek (1976). Following this she moved to Cambridge, continuing to study Philosophy at postgraduate level King's College, Cambridge
. From the age of 19 onwards she was an active member of the Labour Party and for over a decade was a County Councillor. From 1981-88, she was Member Relations Officer for Cambridge Co-op, then Retail Administration Manager from 1988-90. She was Assistant General Manager in Quality Assurance for Cambridge Family Health Service Authority from 1990-92. Johnson was a schools inspector for Ofsted
from 1993-97.
seat of the European Parliamentary election. Two years later she was selected to stand for Labour in the United Kingdom Parliament through an all-women shortlist
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
She was first elected in the 1997 election
overturning a majority of 6,583. Johnson won her seat, Welwyn Hatfield
, a traditional Conservative
strong hold, following a statement made by her opponent, David Evans, which made national newspaper headlines. Evans was taped by sixth-form students (at Stanborough School, Welwyn Garden City
) denouncing Johnson as "a single girl, lives with her boyfriend, three bastard children" and saying she had "never done a proper job". At this time Johnson was working as a school inspector and living with her partner of 18 years, raising their young family. In this taped statement Evans claimed Johnson didn't "have a chance in hell". Evans also criticised her for living in Cambridge rather than actually in his then constituency.
In her maiden speech Johnson commented that Evans was" widely renowned for his plain speaking" but could be "personally very charming. I saw that for myself on election night when he congratulated me on my victory in Welwyn Hatfield and recorded how much he had enjoyed being a Member of Parliament". She further commented "I am a firm believer in diversity and my own style will be a little different from his. As a mother of three, I can assure the House that my children will help to keep my feet on the ground."
Johnson was re-elected in the 2001 elections
with a reduced majority. Welwyn Hatfield had never previously been held for more than one term by a Labour MP.
From 1999 to 2005 Johnson was a junior minister serving first as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
, next in the DTI as Minister for Competition and Consumers, and finally as Minister for Public Health
in the Department of Health. Johnson was also responsible for the White Paper Building Trust in Statistics As Economic Secretary she supported the EU action against money laundering stating "Money laundering is a very serious offence, with the capacity to undermine financial markets and to corrupt professional advisers" Following the 2000 Budget Johnson, whilst speaking to NPI Conference, commented "in the Budget three weeks ago now, this Government took the next steps towards our ambition for a Britain of opportunity and security not just for a few but for all, with prosperity reaching the people and places the economy has too long forgotten.". Journalist Benedict Brogan likened the delivery of her speeches to "the read-your-weight manner of a supermarket Tannoy" describing them as tedious and accusing her of just repeating "the mantra that had been programmed into her".
During Johnson's time in DTI she gained media coverage for her concerns regarding "US regulators (having) the power to monitor, investigate and discipline UK auditors". Johnson was also responsible for Government's Enterprise Bill, commenting that 'We will provide a robust regime for dealing with those who abuse their creditors.'
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 Johnson became more vocal on the issue, stating "Breast cancer can happen to any woman, regardless of who she is. I am acutely aware it is something many women still do not believe will happen to them." Cancer was later to become one of Johnson's responsibilities as Public Health Minister.
As Public Health Minister, her responsibilities included policy on smoking, obesity, drugs, alcohol, diet and nutrition, communicable diseases, sexual health, sustainable development and health inequalities.
One of her key roles was to improve cervical smear testing, which she achieved in a move to get new better smear tests. With the new test Johnson introduced, there are less false positives, meaning fewer women are now required to return for a second smear due to an error with their first test. Johnson additionally announced plans in 2004 to cut domestic violence during pregnancy with the integration of routine enquiries into antenatal appointments.
Johnson campaigned to cut salt levels, setting targets to significantly reduce salt in foods in order to improve cardiovascular health. She gained credit from "salt victims" who had suffered strokes supporting her work to make large companies reduce salt. Johnson's campaign was echoed by Food watchdogs, whilst she pushed for large food companies to make specific action plans in order to reduce salt.
In October 2003, Johnson had was the subject of criticism when she was quoted as saying that fluoridation of water should be "the preferred method of preventing tooth decay on a population basis". Simon Thomas accused her of suggesting people should thrown away their toothbrushes, Thomas stated the proposals were "crazy" and "full of contradictions". Others such as Martyn Shrewsbury accused her of failing to consider the health risk of fluoride as well as the ethics of medicating people against their will. Johnson later clarified her comments stating "we are not saying that people should stop brushing their teeth".
Johnson was defeated in the 2005 general election
by Grant Shapps
on a 9.2% swing to the Conservatives.
organisation dedicated to improving the customers' experience of the insurance industry.
In 2009 Johnson was named Chair of the UK Cards Association, a payments industry body, in which capacity she has attempted to have scientific research on credit card security withdrawn from public availability.
She featured on the Labour's shortlist for the 2007 Sedgefield
by-election but failed to be selected as candidate. She also made the all-female longlist for the Walthamstow
seat in 2008 but was less successful and did not make the shortlist. In 2009 she made a third attempt at becoming a Labour parliamentary candidate by featuring on a controversial all-woman shortlist for the Erith and Thamesmead
constituency. The contest was taken over by the central Labour party as the local party was considered incapable of handling the process fairly, leading to complaints that non local candidates were being favored. Further controversy came when it was revealed one of the ballot boxes had been tampered with at Labour's head office.
In 2001 Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite treatment for breast cancer, it was reported that Johnson was "expected to spend about 10 days recovering at home in her Welwyn and Hatfield constituency after the operation before returning to work before Christmas, the DTI said." She later commented that she had been "very fortunate to make a full recovery" from breast cancer.
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...
in the United Kingdom
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...
.
Early life
Johnson attended the Independent Clifton High SchoolClifton High School (Bristol)
Clifton High School is an independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded as Clifton High School for Girls in 1877 by visionaries including John Percival, the first Headmaster of Clifton College...
in Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol. Leaving Bristol for London, Johnson studied at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, gaining a BA
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...
in Philosophy and Ancient Greek (1976). Following this she moved to Cambridge, continuing to study Philosophy at postgraduate level King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. From the age of 19 onwards she was an active member of the Labour Party and for over a decade was a County Councillor. From 1981-88, she was Member Relations Officer for Cambridge Co-op, then Retail Administration Manager from 1988-90. She was Assistant General Manager in Quality Assurance for Cambridge Family Health Service Authority from 1990-92. Johnson was a schools inspector for Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
from 1993-97.
Parliamentary career
In 1994 Johnson unsuccessfully stood for Labour in the CambridgeshireCambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
seat of the European Parliamentary election. Two years later she was selected to stand for Labour in the United Kingdom Parliament through an all-women shortlist
All-women shortlists
The use of all-women shortlists is the political practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. Though the practice is available to all parties, only...
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
She was first elected in the 1997 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...
overturning a majority of 6,583. Johnson won her seat, Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Welwyn Hatfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1974 as 'Welwyn and Hatfield'.- Boundaries :...
, a traditional 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...
strong hold, following a statement made by her opponent, David Evans, which made national newspaper headlines. Evans was taped by sixth-form students (at Stanborough School, Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
) denouncing Johnson as "a single girl, lives with her boyfriend, three bastard children" and saying she had "never done a proper job". At this time Johnson was working as a school inspector and living with her partner of 18 years, raising their young family. In this taped statement Evans claimed Johnson didn't "have a chance in hell". Evans also criticised her for living in Cambridge rather than actually in his then constituency.
In her maiden speech Johnson commented that Evans was" widely renowned for his plain speaking" but could be "personally very charming. I saw that for myself on election night when he congratulated me on my victory in Welwyn Hatfield and recorded how much he had enjoyed being a Member of Parliament". She further commented "I am a firm believer in diversity and my own style will be a little different from his. As a mother of three, I can assure the House that my children will help to keep my feet on the ground."
Johnson was re-elected in the 2001 elections
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...
with a reduced majority. Welwyn Hatfield had never previously been held for more than one term by a Labour MP.
From 1999 to 2005 Johnson was a junior minister serving first as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
, next in the DTI as Minister for Competition and Consumers, and finally as Minister for Public Health
Minister for Public Health
The Minister for Public Health and Sport is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created as Minister for Public Health in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority...
in the Department of Health. Johnson was also responsible for the White Paper Building Trust in Statistics As Economic Secretary she supported the EU action against money laundering stating "Money laundering is a very serious offence, with the capacity to undermine financial markets and to corrupt professional advisers" Following the 2000 Budget Johnson, whilst speaking to NPI Conference, commented "in the Budget three weeks ago now, this Government took the next steps towards our ambition for a Britain of opportunity and security not just for a few but for all, with prosperity reaching the people and places the economy has too long forgotten.". Journalist Benedict Brogan likened the delivery of her speeches to "the read-your-weight manner of a supermarket Tannoy" describing them as tedious and accusing her of just repeating "the mantra that had been programmed into her".
During Johnson's time in DTI she gained media coverage for her concerns regarding "US regulators (having) the power to monitor, investigate and discipline UK auditors". Johnson was also responsible for Government's Enterprise Bill, commenting that 'We will provide a robust regime for dealing with those who abuse their creditors.'
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 Johnson became more vocal on the issue, stating "Breast cancer can happen to any woman, regardless of who she is. I am acutely aware it is something many women still do not believe will happen to them." Cancer was later to become one of Johnson's responsibilities as Public Health Minister.
As Public Health Minister, her responsibilities included policy on smoking, obesity, drugs, alcohol, diet and nutrition, communicable diseases, sexual health, sustainable development and health inequalities.
One of her key roles was to improve cervical smear testing, which she achieved in a move to get new better smear tests. With the new test Johnson introduced, there are less false positives, meaning fewer women are now required to return for a second smear due to an error with their first test. Johnson additionally announced plans in 2004 to cut domestic violence during pregnancy with the integration of routine enquiries into antenatal appointments.
Johnson campaigned to cut salt levels, setting targets to significantly reduce salt in foods in order to improve cardiovascular health. She gained credit from "salt victims" who had suffered strokes supporting her work to make large companies reduce salt. Johnson's campaign was echoed by Food watchdogs, whilst she pushed for large food companies to make specific action plans in order to reduce salt.
In October 2003, Johnson had was the subject of criticism when she was quoted as saying that fluoridation of water should be "the preferred method of preventing tooth decay on a population basis". Simon Thomas accused her of suggesting people should thrown away their toothbrushes, Thomas stated the proposals were "crazy" and "full of contradictions". Others such as Martyn Shrewsbury accused her of failing to consider the health risk of fluoride as well as the ethics of medicating people against their will. Johnson later clarified her comments stating "we are not saying that people should stop brushing their teeth".
Johnson was defeated in 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....
by Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps
Grant V Shapps MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield in the United Kingdom and Minister of State for Housing and Planning...
on a 9.2% swing to the Conservatives.
Post parliamentary work
In 2006 Johnson took the position of Deputy Chair on the Customer Impact Panel, an Association of British InsurersAssociation of British Insurers
The Association of British Insurers or ABI is a trade association made up of insurance companies in the United Kingdom.-History:The ABI began in 1985 after several specialised insurance industry trade associations, including the British Insurance Association, the Life Offices’ Association, the Fire...
organisation dedicated to improving the customers' experience of the insurance industry.
In 2009 Johnson was named Chair of the UK Cards Association, a payments industry body, in which capacity she has attempted to have scientific research on credit card security withdrawn from public availability.
She featured on the Labour's shortlist for the 2007 Sedgefield
Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)
Sedgefield 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...
by-election but failed to be selected as candidate. She also made the all-female longlist for the Walthamstow
Walthamstow (UK Parliament constituency)
Walthamstow 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.- 1885–1918 :...
seat in 2008 but was less successful and did not make the shortlist. In 2009 she made a third attempt at becoming a Labour parliamentary candidate by featuring on a controversial all-woman shortlist for the Erith and Thamesmead
Erith and Thamesmead
Erith and Thamesmead 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....
constituency. The contest was taken over by the central Labour party as the local party was considered incapable of handling the process fairly, leading to complaints that non local candidates were being favored. Further controversy came when it was revealed one of the ballot boxes had been tampered with at Labour's head office.
Personal life
She lives in Cambridge with her partner. They have twin daughters, and a son.In 2001 Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite treatment for breast cancer, it was reported that Johnson was "expected to spend about 10 days recovering at home in her Welwyn and Hatfield constituency after the operation before returning to work before Christmas, the DTI said." She later commented that she had been "very fortunate to make a full recovery" from breast cancer.