Natascha Engel
Encyclopedia
Natascha Engel is a German
-British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for North East Derbyshire
since 2005
. She has extensive involvement in the trade union
movement, and has close connections to Gordon Brown
.
, Germany
to a German father and an English mother. She was educated at the independent Kent College
in Canterbury, and at The King's School, Canterbury
, she trained as a linguist
in German and Portuguese at King's College London
and at the University of Westminster
where she obtained a Masters degree
in Technical and Specialised Translation. In addition to her political career, Engel has done postgraduate work in translation: she speaks German
, Spanish
, and Portuguese
.
, Spain
, Engel worked as a volunteer for two years in the local office of Amnesty International
while earning a living as a teacher of English
. After returning to Britain to work as a Teletext
subtitler, Engel joined the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
. She was among the first join the Organising Academy of the Trade Union Congress, serving with the Graphical, Paper and Media Union
; she worked on political fund ballots in persuading trade union members to retain their financial backing for the Labour Party
.
Engel joined the Labour Party staff as a Trade Union Liaison Officer organising marginal seats campaigning at the 2001 general election
. She later became policy co-ordinator for the Trade Union Liaison Office, before leaving to work as programme director of the Smith Institute
. Her work there included researching on skills and the needs of working women. In October 2002 through the Smith Institute she co-authored the book Age of Regions: Meeting the Productivity Challenge.
She was an assistant to John Healey
in February 2003, and the two have co-written a pamphlet, published by the TUC, and an article, published by the New Statesman
, arguing that unions should offer learning opportunities in order to recruit more members.
Despite the lack of local connections, she was selected as the Labour candidate for North East Derbyshire
following the decision of the sitting Labour MP Harry Barnes not to stand in the 2005 general election
. Her connections with allies of Gordon Brown were remarked upon. Engel took the seat, easily, with a majority of 10,065. She bought a house at Barrow Hill
in her constituency in July 2006.
In the May 2010 elections, Engel experienced one of the largest constituency swings against her from Labour and other parties to Tory (8.6%) effectively reducing the constituency from, historically, a safe Labour seat to a marginal.
on 20 October 2005, the last of the incoming Labour MPs to do so, paying tribute to her predecessor Harry Barnes for his work. In the speech Engel concentrated on constituency affairs, supporting devolution
of power and resources to local communities and highlighting examples in Staveley
and Grassmoor
. She referred to socialism
as "the simple idea that if someone helps their neighbour, their neighbour will help them".
In 2006, Engel's name was included on a list of 15 up and coming Labour MPs compiled for News Corporation
. Engel became Secretary of the All-Party Media Literacy Group in 2006. She backed Peter Hain
for the Labour Party deputy leadership in the 2007 election
, and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Hain from July 2007 until Hain resigned from the Government in January 2008. Engel left the Work and Pensions Committee in November 2007. She performed the same role for Liam Byrne
from October 2008, transferring to work for John Denham from January 2009. Engel was appointed to the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons when it was set up in July 2009. She did not agree with the committee's report, which contained proposals for the creation of a committee to schedule backbench business, the establishment of a committee to set the Commons' agenda and the election of select committee chairs by secret ballot. She felt those three changes would transfer power 'from one elite—in this case, the Executive—and handing it to another—a group of senior Back Benchers'. She also said they would be 'a step in the wrong direction' because they were small changes that would risk standing in the way of more sweeping reforms as MPs would essentially be telling themselves and the public 'we've done [reform], we will move on'. Engel drafted a minority report that proposed restarting the committee's work after the 2010 election, when it would have more time to investigate and deliberate.
On 15 June 2010, the House of Commons voted to create a Backbench Business Committee
, and one week later, Engel defeated Sir Alan Haselhurst
202 to 173 in a secret ballot of MPs to become its first chair. On 6 July 2011 she was named "Backbencher of the Year" for her work with the committee.
s at their surgeries, noting that the Bill had the support of the Family Planning Association
, Terrence Higgins Trust
, Royal College of General Practitioners
, and the Royal College of Nursing
. She took a period of maternity leave from December 2007. In December 2008 she signed the joint letter organised by Richard Burden
which condemned the escalated conflict in the Gaza Strip
and calling for an immediate ceasefire on all sides. Engel was one of the fifteen MPs to formally nominate John Bercow
as the new Speaker of the House of Commons
in the election
in June 2009. She became chair of the All Party Insolvency Group in 2009.
Engel has not broken the Labour whip in her time in Parliament. Asked in an interview in 2005 "If you were an MP at the time, how did you vote on military action in Iraq?", Engel answered, "Against". After entering Parliament Engel opposed motions proposed by opposition parties calling for an independent inquiry on the Iraq war, supporting the Government's proposal for an inquiry after British troops left. Engel collaborated on a chapter in the Institute for Public Policy Research
book "Politics for a New Generation" in 2007 which was titled "Moving on up: Progression in the Labour Market".In October 2008 Engel called for Labour MPs to be given a free vote on the issue of banning smacking of children, complaining that she was put in an "impossible position of choosing between party loyalty and a reform that we believe in passionately".
and has worked to encourage young people to participate in democracy. With her local council she set up a 'Question Time' event for local pupils to question a panel including then-cabinet member Geoff Hoon
and the leader of the council. In December 2007 she was a sponsor of a Private member's bill
introduced by Julie Morgan
which would have reduced the voting age to 16. Engel became chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs in 2008, In a Fabian Society
survey of some Labour MPs in Autumn 2007, her suggestion for the Labour manifesto for the next general election was that sex and relationship education should be compulsory in all schools and taught by a professional.
At the ePolitix Charity Champion awards in November 2007, Engel was named "Children and Youth Champion" for her work. At the 2007-08 annual general meeting of the British Youth Council
, she was chosen as an Honorary President of the council.
in her constituency, putting forward an 'early day motion
' in its support. In February 2009 Engel asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown
about "unscrupulous bus companies" who she claimed issued pensioners with tickets for far longer journeys than requested, in order to overcharge the local authorities which paid for their travel. Stagecoach
Yorkshire, which operated buses in her constituency, pointed out that the company had agreed a fixed charge with Derbyshire
County Council, so that such a practice would not benefit them.
the Derby Telegraph contacted all local MPs and Engel responded by providing the paper with all her claim forms.
The paper subsequently invited other MPs to do the same but only Judy Mallaber
accepted.
The Sunday Telegraph
, published ten days later, showed that after her election in 2005 Engel claimed £158.45 incidental expenses for "political history" items some of which she told the paper she would repay.
Also in 2005 she advised the Fees office of above limits second home claims for a £1,800 television, £2,900 sofa and £1,950 bed, paying the £3150 excess though £1666 worth of kitchen goods were paid in full.
Following the publication Engel set up meetings to answer questions though these were not well attended.
She admitted that with hindsight she would not have claimed for some kitchen items which were "the letter, ..not the spirit, of the law.
However she had to set up a second home, she'd paid out the money and hadn’t acted corruptly so she wouldn't be repaying it.
The Sunday Telegraph's claim that Engel came low on the list of 'value for money' MPs was itself criticised by the Guardian for failing to mention that Engel had two periods of maternity leave whilst Engel herself wrote an article linking the expenses and hours of Parliament to the difficulties of raising a young family.
"The expenses debate ..has forced MPs to talk to the people they represent ..Only when people realise that we split our time between constituency and Westminster can they begin to understand why we even have a second-home allowance."
The Legg Report showed that 343 MPs had been asked to repay money, including several from Derbyshire. Engel repaid £1,934 of which she said £1,339 was a mortgage claim the Fees office paid twice which she repaid immediately whilst £595 was a refund of a house rental deposit.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-British
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 North East Derbyshire
North East Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North East Derbyshire 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:...
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....
. She has extensive involvement in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement, and has close connections to 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...
.
Early life
Natascha Engel was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to a German father and an English mother. She was educated at the independent Kent College
Kent College
Kent College, Canterbury is a co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. It was founded in 1885, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
in Canterbury, and at The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School is a British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the historic English cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group....
, she trained as a linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
in German and Portuguese at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and at the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
where she obtained a Masters degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Technical and Specialised Translation. In addition to her political career, Engel has done postgraduate work in translation: she speaks German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
Politics
While living in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Engel worked as a volunteer for two years in the local office of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
while earning a living as a teacher of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. After returning to Britain to work as a Teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
subtitler, Engel joined the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union is a trade union in the United Kingdom. It has around 26,500 members who work in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure and interactive media....
. She was among the first join the Organising Academy of the Trade Union Congress, serving with the Graphical, Paper and Media Union
Graphical, Paper and Media Union
The Graphical, Paper and Media Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland between 1992 and 2005. Having been formed from the merger of SOGAT and the National Graphical Association, it claimed to be the world's largest media union, and had over 200,000 members working...
; she worked on political fund ballots in persuading trade union members to retain their financial backing for 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...
.
Engel joined the Labour Party staff as a Trade Union Liaison Officer organising marginal seats campaigning at 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 later became policy co-ordinator for the Trade Union Liaison Office, before leaving to work as programme director of the Smith Institute
Smith Institute
The Smith Institute is a left-wing think tank in the United Kingdom. It was founded in memory of the late John Smith QC MP, former Leader of the Labour Party....
. Her work there included researching on skills and the needs of working women. In October 2002 through the Smith Institute she co-authored the book Age of Regions: Meeting the Productivity Challenge.
She was an assistant to John Healey
John Healey
John Healey is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wentworth and Dearne since 1997, and former Minister of State for Housing and Planning. In 2010 he was elected to the shadow cabinet and appointed shadow health secretary...
in February 2003, and the two have co-written a pamphlet, published by the TUC, and an article, published by the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, arguing that unions should offer learning opportunities in order to recruit more members.
Despite the lack of local connections, she was selected as the Labour candidate for North East Derbyshire
North East Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North East Derbyshire 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:...
following the decision of the sitting Labour MP Harry Barnes not to stand 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....
. Her connections with allies of Gordon Brown were remarked upon. Engel took the seat, easily, with a majority of 10,065. She bought a house at Barrow Hill
Barrow Hill, Derbyshire
Barrow Hill is a village in Derbyshire north-east of the town of Chesterfield. It was formerly the site of Barrow Hill railway station, and is also the site of Barrow Hill Engine Shed. It also has its own primary school, Barrow Hill Primary School and a new park which it won over New Whittington...
in her constituency in July 2006.
In the May 2010 elections, Engel experienced one of the largest constituency swings against her from Labour and other parties to Tory (8.6%) effectively reducing the constituency from, historically, a safe Labour seat to a marginal.
Parliament
When Select Committees were established in the new Parliament, Engel was named to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. She made her maiden speechMaiden 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 20 October 2005, the last of the incoming Labour MPs to do so, paying tribute to her predecessor Harry Barnes for his work. In the speech Engel concentrated on constituency affairs, supporting devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
of power and resources to local communities and highlighting examples in Staveley
Staveley, Derbyshire
Staveley is a town within the borough of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England. The town is situated alongside the River Rother, adjacent to Eckington to the north, Barlborough to the east, Sutton-cum-Duckmanton civil parish to the south and Brimington to the west.-History:It has traditionally been...
and Grassmoor
Grassmoor
Grassmoor is a village in Derbyshire, England, approximately three miles to the south of Chesterfield. Its original name, according to 16th-century parish records, was Gresmore. Grassmoor formally housed many miners, however all of the local mines in the area have been closed since the...
. She referred to socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
as "the simple idea that if someone helps their neighbour, their neighbour will help them".
In 2006, Engel's name was included on a list of 15 up and coming Labour MPs compiled for News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
. Engel became Secretary of the All-Party Media Literacy Group in 2006. She backed Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
for the Labour Party deputy leadership in the 2007 election
Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 2007
The 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election was a British political party election for the position of deputy leader of the Labour Party. John Prescott, the previous deputy leader, announced on 10 May 2007 that he was standing down from that position and that he would be leaving as deputy...
, and served as 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...
to Hain from July 2007 until Hain resigned from the Government in January 2008. Engel left the Work and Pensions Committee in November 2007. She performed the same role for Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne
Liam Dominic Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004, and was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2009 to 2010 before being appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 20 January 2011.-Early...
from October 2008, transferring to work for John Denham from January 2009. Engel was appointed to the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons when it was set up in July 2009. She did not agree with the committee's report, which contained proposals for the creation of a committee to schedule backbench business, the establishment of a committee to set the Commons' agenda and the election of select committee chairs by secret ballot. She felt those three changes would transfer power 'from one elite—in this case, the Executive—and handing it to another—a group of senior Back Benchers'. She also said they would be 'a step in the wrong direction' because they were small changes that would risk standing in the way of more sweeping reforms as MPs would essentially be telling themselves and the public 'we've done [reform], we will move on'. Engel drafted a minority report that proposed restarting the committee's work after the 2010 election, when it would have more time to investigate and deliberate.
On 15 June 2010, the House of Commons voted to create a Backbench Business Committee
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee of the British House of Commons was created on 15 June 2010 through the adoption of a new standing order. It was created soon after 2010 general election, but had been proposed during the previous Parliament by the Wright Committee on Reform of the House of Commons...
, and one week later, Engel defeated Sir Alan Haselhurst
Alan Haselhurst
Sir Alan Gordon Barraclough Haselhurst is a British Conservative politician who is the Member of Parliament for Saffron Walden and was Chairman of Ways and Means from 14 May 1997 to 8 June 2010.-Early life, education and career:...
202 to 173 in a secret ballot of MPs to become its first chair. On 6 July 2011 she was named "Backbencher of the Year" for her work with the committee.
National issues
In February 2007 Engel introduced a 'ten minute rule' Bill which proposed to require doctors to supply free condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s at their surgeries, noting that the Bill had the support of the Family Planning Association
Family Planning Association
FPA is a UK registered charity working to enable people to make informed choices about sex and to enjoy sexual health. It is the national affiliate for the International Planned Parenthood Federation in the United Kingdom. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2010...
, Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and HIV. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health ; to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of...
, Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of General Practitioners
The Royal College of General Practitioners is the professional body for general practitioners in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including licensing, education, training, research and clinical standards. It is the largest of the medical royal colleges, with...
, and the Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of Nursing
The Royal College of Nursing is a union membership organisation with over 395,000 members in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1916, receiving its Royal Charter in 1928, Queen Elizabeth II is the patron...
. She took a period of maternity leave from December 2007. In December 2008 she signed the joint letter organised by Richard Burden
Richard Burden
Richard Burden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992. Together with close friend and fellow ex-Young Liberal Peter Hain M.P., he was an enthusiastic supporter of the ill-fated Alternative Vote system in the May 2011...
which condemned the escalated conflict in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and calling for an immediate ceasefire on all sides. Engel was one of the fifteen MPs to formally nominate John Bercow
John Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
as the new Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
in the election
Speaker of the British House of Commons election, 2009
The 2009 election of the Speaker of the British House of Commons occurred on 22 June 2009 after the resignation of Michael Martin as Speaker following the MPs' expenses scandal. Martin was the first Speaker since Sir John Trevor in 1695 to be forced from office...
in June 2009. She became chair of the All Party Insolvency Group in 2009.
Engel has not broken the Labour whip in her time in Parliament. Asked in an interview in 2005 "If you were an MP at the time, how did you vote on military action in Iraq?", Engel answered, "Against". After entering Parliament Engel opposed motions proposed by opposition parties calling for an independent inquiry on the Iraq war, supporting the Government's proposal for an inquiry after British troops left. Engel collaborated on a chapter in the Institute for Public Policy Research
Institute for Public Policy Research
The IPPR is the leading progressive think-tank in the UK. It produces research and policy ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and IPPR North has branches in Newcastle and Manchester.It was founded in...
book "Politics for a New Generation" in 2007 which was titled "Moving on up: Progression in the Labour Market".In October 2008 Engel called for Labour MPs to be given a free vote on the issue of banning smacking of children, complaining that she was put in an "impossible position of choosing between party loyalty and a reform that we believe in passionately".
Youth issues
Engel represents the Labour Party on the Board of Trustees of the UK Youth ParliamentUK Youth Parliament
The UK Youth Parliament is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18....
and has worked to encourage young people to participate in democracy. With her local council she set up a 'Question Time' event for local pupils to question a panel including then-cabinet member Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
and the leader of the council. In December 2007 she was a sponsor of a Private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
introduced by Julie Morgan
Julie Morgan
Julie Morgan AM is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Cardiff North from 1997 until 2010; she is married to former First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. Julie Morgan won the Cardiff North seat in the Welsh Assembly in the 2011 elections.-Early life,...
which would have reduced the voting age to 16. Engel became chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs in 2008, In a 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...
survey of some Labour MPs in Autumn 2007, her suggestion for the Labour manifesto for the next general election was that sex and relationship education should be compulsory in all schools and taught by a professional.
At the ePolitix Charity Champion awards in November 2007, Engel was named "Children and Youth Champion" for her work. At the 2007-08 annual general meeting of the British Youth Council
British Youth Council
The British Youth Council is a UK charity working to empower young people to have a say and be heard. Run by young people for young people, BYC exists to represent the views of young people to government and decision-makers at a local, national, European and international level; and to promote the...
, she was chosen as an Honorary President of the council.
Local issues
Engel was a leading member of a campaign to build what would have been the world's largest sundialSundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
in her constituency, putting forward an 'early day motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
' in its support. In February 2009 Engel asked Prime Minister 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...
about "unscrupulous bus companies" who she claimed issued pensioners with tickets for far longer journeys than requested, in order to overcharge the local authorities which paid for their travel. Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
Yorkshire, which operated buses in her constituency, pointed out that the company had agreed a fixed charge with Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
County Council, so that such a practice would not benefit them.
Expenses
In May 2009, during the expenses scandalUnited Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
the Derby Telegraph contacted all local MPs and Engel responded by providing the paper with all her claim forms.
The paper subsequently invited other MPs to do the same but only Judy Mallaber
Judy Mallaber
Clare Judith Mallaber known as Judy Mallaber is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Amber Valley from 1997 to 2010.- Early life :She went to the North London Collegiate School....
accepted.
The Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
, published ten days later, showed that after her election in 2005 Engel claimed £158.45 incidental expenses for "political history" items some of which she told the paper she would repay.
Also in 2005 she advised the Fees office of above limits second home claims for a £1,800 television, £2,900 sofa and £1,950 bed, paying the £3150 excess though £1666 worth of kitchen goods were paid in full.
Following the publication Engel set up meetings to answer questions though these were not well attended.
She admitted that with hindsight she would not have claimed for some kitchen items which were "the letter, ..not the spirit, of the law.
However she had to set up a second home, she'd paid out the money and hadn’t acted corruptly so she wouldn't be repaying it.
The Sunday Telegraph's claim that Engel came low on the list of 'value for money' MPs was itself criticised by the Guardian for failing to mention that Engel had two periods of maternity leave whilst Engel herself wrote an article linking the expenses and hours of Parliament to the difficulties of raising a young family.
"The expenses debate ..has forced MPs to talk to the people they represent ..Only when people realise that we split our time between constituency and Westminster can they begin to understand why we even have a second-home allowance."
The Legg Report showed that 343 MPs had been asked to repay money, including several from Derbyshire. Engel repaid £1,934 of which she said £1,339 was a mortgage claim the Fees office paid twice which she repaid immediately whilst £595 was a refund of a house rental deposit.
External links
- Official website
- Profile (Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
) - BBC Politics
- Constituency Report 2008 (pdf)
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle
- Profile (TheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYou is a website run by mySociety, a project of registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, and is a tool for political campaigners and those interested in the Parliamentary activities of UK MPs, Lords, and Northern Ireland MLAs....
) - journalisted (Automated listing of Engel's journal articles)