Ruth Kelly
Encyclopedia
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British
Labour Party
politician
of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bolton West
from 1997
until she stood down in 2010. Previously, she served as the Secretary of State for Transport
, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
, Minister for Women and Equality
and Secretary of State for Education and Skills
, serving under both Gordon Brown
and Tony Blair
. She is currently an economist working for HSBC.
, Northern Ireland
. She also lived briefly in the Republic of Ireland
before moving to England where she attended Edgarley Hall - the prep school
for Millfield School. She was educated at the independent Sutton High School, run by the Girls' Day School Trust
(GDST). After being moved up a year and sitting O-levels
at Sutton High School at the age of 15, she decided to move back to Ireland
to look after her ill grandmother. Her grandmother died after six weeks, but Kelly stayed for a year, living with her aunt and taking A-level French. She returned to England on winning a scholarship to the sixth-form
of Westminster School
. From Westminster, Kelly went up to The Queen's College, Oxford
to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1986, graduating in 1989, and then on to the London School of Economics
where she was awarded a MSc
degree in Economics in 1992. Kelly had joined the Labour Party in 1990, becoming a member of the party's Bethnal Green and Stepney
constituency party
. She was an economics writer for The Guardian
from 1990, before becoming deputy head of the Inflation
Report Division of the Bank of England
in 1994. She married Derek John Gadd, a local government officer, in 1996, and they have four children.
(the Old IRA) during the Irish War of Independence
(1919–1921). In 1922, during the Irish Civil War
of 1922–1923, was interned
by the Government of Northern Ireland
. Murphy's detention file refers to him as 'quartermaster of the West Fermanagh IRA Battalion'. He went on hunger strike
to protest at his detention. He was released unconditionally in June 1924, when internment ended.
and regular attender at their meetings and events. Her brother, Ronan Kelly, is a supernumerary
in the Opus Dei organisation. Previously, uncertainty has existed over Kelly's Opus Dei membership, partly because she herself has declined when asked to say whether or not she is a member, saying that the matter is a private one, and saying only that she has received 'spiritual support' from them.
, Kelly gained the seat of Bolton West from the Conservatives
while heavily pregnant, and gave birth to her first son eleven days later. She gained her place in parliament as Tony Blair became Prime Minister with Labour's landslide election victory.
She served on the Treasury Select Committee; she was also appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Agriculture Minister
, Nick Brown
from 1998. Kelly was a member of a commission set up by the Institute for Public Policy Research
into the Private Finance Initiative
, which expressed some scepticism about the operation of the policy.
After Labour won the 2001 general election
, Kelly was appointed as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
. Her role focused on competition policy and small businesses. After a year she was promoted to be Financial Secretary to the Treasury
, giving her responsibility for regulation of the financial services industry. In both positions her principal task was in the thorough revision of the Financial Services regulation system which was introduced by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
. Kelly brought in new regulations to tackle the funding of terrorism
after the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Kelly was assigned the task of dealing with Equitable Life after the Penrose Report into the life insurance
company was published. She rejected calls for government compensation to Equitable policyholders, on the grounds that the losses arose from actions of the company rather than from any defect of regulation, and that it was still trading. Equitable policyholders continued to demand redress.
As a mother of four young children, she refused to work the long hours normally associated with such positions and refused to take a red box
in the evening whilst at the Treasury.
In a minor reshuffle, she was promoted to be Minister for the Cabinet Office
on 9 September 2004, replacing Douglas Alexander
. Kelly guided the Civil Contingencies Bill through its final stages in Parliament, which faced serious objections from some civil liberties
campaigns.
in a vote that saw a massive rebellion amongst Labour MPs.
Ruth Kelly also voted for the introduction of identity cards, voted for replacing Trident and argued against the addition of a sunset clause in part 2 of the controversial Civil Contingencies Act 2004
.
In a free parliamentary vote on 20 May 2008, she voted for cutting the upper limit for abortions from 24 to 12 weeks, along with two other Catholic cabinet ministers Des Browne
and Paul Murphy.
on 15 December 2004, Kelly entered the Cabinet
(also becoming a member of the Privy Council
) with the position of Secretary of State for Education and Skills
. She became the youngest woman ever to sit in the Cabinet.
The Government's Extended Schools policy, which plans to open some schools from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and provide child-care services for working parents, has been dubbed by some as "Kelly hours" after Kelly. although the National Childcare Strategy with before and after school care funded in most schools by the New Opportunities Fund pre-dated extended schools (and Ruth Kelly's ministerial tenure) by several years. The extended schools initiative is predicated on wider use of and access to schools as community resources, not just for parents and children. Her proposals in the 2005 white paper
to reduce the number and influence of parent governors
in Trust Schools, were seen as a partial reversal of this earlier stance.
Kelly attracted considerable criticism by rejecting the proposals of the Tomlinson report on education reform for the 14–19 age group, which suggested replacing A level exams with a four-tier diploma. After the 2005 election, it was rumoured that she was to be demoted back into her old post at the Treasury and although she kept her position at the DfES, she was said to have been "less than thrilled" by the appointment of Tony Blair
's adviser Andrew Adonis
as a Minister within her Department.
images and who was on a sex offenders register
, to be employed at a school in Norwich
on the basis that he had not been convicted of an offence. He and an unknown number of others on the sex offenders register, were not on the DfES prohibited list, "List 99".
On 13 January, Kim Howells
, a Minister of State
at the DfES, admitted that it was he who had actually made the decision, in accordance with advice given to him by civil servants that the "person did not represent an ongoing threat to children but that he should be given a grave warning". In response to the critical media coverage surrounding the issue, Downing Street
issued a statement confirming their confidence in Kelly and denying rumours that she was to be replaced.
There was further controversy when it transpired that another teacher, William Gibson, 59, who had been cleared to work at Portchester School in Bournemouth
despite the fact that he had been convicted in 1980 for indecent assault
on a 15-year-old girl and had been previously removed from three schools. A letter from the Department for Education that suggested the Secretary of State had considered his case and found that although his past actions had been unwise and unacceptable, he had undertaken teaching work to good effect since.
and KPMG
. But it is their ability to set their own admission arrangements that generated the most criticism.
A large number of Labour backbenchers, as well as numerous Labour luminaries like Neil Kinnock
and former Education Secretary Estelle Morris
, made known their opposition to the proposals and published an alternative white paper. Faced with such a rebellion, the government initially stressed that it would press on with the reforms. However new Tory
leader David Cameron
unexpectedly announced that these reforms were in line with Tory policies and that he would support the bill if presented in the proposed form. The government were faced with the prospect of pushing through their reforms only with opposition support and in the face of increased resistance from its own supporters.
When the Education and Inspections Bill 2006 was finally published on 28 February 2006, it contained much of what had been trailed, although most notable by its absence was any mention of "trust school". Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools were left to pick up the mantle of trust schools.
It is also suggested by the Liberal Democrats
that her personal beliefs are incompatible with her equality brief as they make her unable to champion gay rights following reports of a cabinet split on proposals to prevent religious organisations from refusing services to people on grounds of their sexuality.
, in Wapping
, a voluntary aided school
. However on 8 January 2007, the Daily Mirror revealed that she had withdrawn her son from the school, and — following professional advice — sent him to a preparatory school
which specialises in the education of boys aged 7–13 with dyslexia
and/or Developmental Dyspraxia. Kelly said the state schools in her borough, Tower Hamlets
, did not adequately cater for her child's needs and that her intention was for him to attend the school for "a couple of years before he begins at a state secondary school". Though the additional cost for specialist support outside the state sector sometimes is paid for by the local authority, Kelly stated she has not and will not seek the help of the local authority in meeting these costs.
According to Ofsted
inspection in 2002 "those with special educational needs, make particularly good progress" at English Martyrs Roman Catholic school
, and that pupils generally meet "standards that are much better than those gained by pupils in similar schools". The school achieved the best exam results in the borough of Tower Hamlets and among the best in the UK, with 96% of children reaching the expected standard for English, and 100% for Maths and Science. The area's education authority, Tower Hamlets
, also runs six special needs schools
within reach of Kelly's home and responded to the controversy saying, "We are proud of the quality of education we offer to all children. We have a strong record in helping children with a wide range of learning needs to succeed."
Ian Gibson
, Labour MP for Norwich North, called the decision "a slap in the face for the teachers and pupils in the school the child has been taken out of". However, Conservative party
leader David Cameron
, whose own disabled son Ivan attended a state special needs school, defended her decision, saying "People should recognise that politicians like everyone else are parents first and will act in the best interests of their children".
Kelly made a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
about the Mirrors reporting of the story, but the complaint was rejected, with the PCC ruling that the story was "a matter of considerable public interest", given that she is "a Cabinet minister - who had previously been Secretary of State for Education and Skills", and "even if government policy included an acceptance of private schooling for those with special needs, the fact that the complainant did not feel that the current state system could meet her child's requirements raised questions about the nature of publicly-funded schooling and its ability to cater for children with special needs - including those whose families would not be able to pay for private schooling."
in egg-throwing incidents. On 6 February 2006, she was to give evidence at Salford Magistrates Court in the case of Fathers 4 Justice protester Simon Wilmot-Coverdale in connection with an incident in April 2005 when an egg was thrown at her. As she left the court, she was again attacked; this time by Michael Downes the egg smashing on the back of her head. Downes was fined and given an ASBO
in relation to the incident, which he proceeded to rip up outside the court, promising to continue to fight for father's rights.
, a position created when these functions were split off from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Department also took over the Home Office
's responsibilities for active communities and civic renewal. She was also given the post of Minister for Women and Equality
. Ruth Kelly's successor at the Department for Education and Skills was Alan Johnson
.
On 16 October 2006, she announced that her new role would involve cutting down on extremists within communities.
, and on the front page of The Independent
of 10 May 2006, for having failed to support any measures in favour of gay
rights since 1997 when the Labour government came to power. It was pointed out that she had absented herself from votes on such issues as equalisation of the age of consent, and gay adoption
, and had voted for a motion that would prevent same-sex couples from adoption. Out of fourteen votes during the Blair
government that have concerned equal gay rights, Ruth Kelly had only attended two. Kelly was also criticised for refusing to comment on whether she considered that homosexuality is a sin. Gay-rights activist Peter Tatchell
commented: "Tony Blair would never appoint someone to a race equality post who had a lukewarm record of opposing racism".
In a letter published in The Times on 11 May 2006, the Archbishop
of the Roman Catholic diocese of Westminster
voiced criticism to allegations that Ruth Kelly’s Catholicism might be considered incompatible with her role as Equality Minister. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor wrote "Ms Kelly may well be scrutinised for her fitness in office. That is a political judgement. But her Catholicism should not be a criterion in forming that judgement."
The Observer newspaper reported on 15 October 2006 that Kelly had joined the Prime Minister in seeking to exempt churches from new laws prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in the provisions of goods and services, and in employment. In the light of these reports, the Liberal Democrat
Equalities spokesperson, Lorely Burt
, called for Kelly to give up her responsibility for equalities, claiming Kelly's personal beliefs were incompatible with defending gay rights. It was reported in January 2007 that Kelly supported an exemption for Catholic adoption agencies from new laws barring discrimination in adoption for same-sex couples, suggesting instead that applicants should instead be referred to other agencies.
. In November 2006, she stopped the Brunswick Quay proposal, which represented over £100 million worth of investment into Liverpool
, from going ahead. The final report of the planners who carried out the public inquiry had recommended approval for the project. In December 2006, she called a public inquiry
into the 20 Fenchurch Street tower in London's financial district
, on the basis that a tall building would be "unsuitable for this site". In May 2007, she blocked a 42-storey, 120 m tower in the New England Quarter
development in Brighton
, designed by Allies and Morrison
and being planned by the Beetham Organization
. She approved the building of new homes and businesses in Walker
, Newcastle
, in a bid to regenerate the area.
as a teenager.
in The Guardian
. "Like all such crimes, it is perpetrated by cowards, attacking the weak to avoid confronting the strong."
project in London which caused outrage amongst MPs in other cities, especially Manchester
, who have been told no public transport funding will be given without a Congestion Charge scheme.
, a former senior Labour Party strategist, was shifted from being Gordon Brown's political spokesperson to Number 10, after criticism of how he handled Ruth Kelly's resignation.
It was subsequently revealed on 21 May 2009 that some of this money was used to repair damage caused by a burst pipe. Kelly was insured for this damage but did not claim on that insurance after being advised by the fees office that a reasonable amount could be claimed under the allowances system.
's corporate development team's strategy unit.
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
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...
of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Bolton West
Bolton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton West 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...
from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
until she stood down in 2010. Previously, she served as the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
, Minister for Women and Equality
Minister for Women and Equality
The post of Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom with responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality.-History:...
and Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
, serving under both 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...
and Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. She is currently an economist working for HSBC.
Background
Kelly was born in LimavadyLimavady
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. She also lived briefly in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
before moving to England where she attended Edgarley Hall - the prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for Millfield School. She was educated at the independent Sutton High School, run by the Girls' Day School Trust
Girls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
(GDST). After being moved up a year and sitting O-levels
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
at Sutton High School at the age of 15, she decided to move back to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to look after her ill grandmother. Her grandmother died after six weeks, but Kelly stayed for a year, living with her aunt and taking A-level French. She returned to England on winning a scholarship to the sixth-form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
of Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
. From Westminster, Kelly went up to The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1986, graduating in 1989, and then on to the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
where she was awarded a MSc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Economics in 1992. Kelly had joined the Labour Party in 1990, becoming a member of the party's Bethnal Green and Stepney
Bethnal Green and Stepney (UK Parliament constituency)
Bethnal Green and Stepney was a parliamentary constituency in east London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.-History:...
constituency party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
. She was an economics writer for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
from 1990, before becoming deputy head of the Inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
Report Division of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
in 1994. She married Derek John Gadd, a local government officer, in 1996, and they have four children.
Family history
Kelly's grandfather, Philip Murphy, served as an officer in the Irish Republican ArmyIrish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(the Old IRA) during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
(1919–1921). In 1922, during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
of 1922–1923, was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
by the Government of Northern Ireland
Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Executive Committee or the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland was the government of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Generally known as either the Cabinet or the Government, the Executive Committee existed from 1922 to 1972...
. Murphy's detention file refers to him as 'quartermaster of the West Fermanagh IRA Battalion'. He went on hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
to protest at his detention. He was released unconditionally in June 1924, when internment ended.
Religion
Kelly is a practising Roman Catholic, a member of Opus DeiOpus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
and regular attender at their meetings and events. Her brother, Ronan Kelly, is a supernumerary
Supernumerary
A Supernumerary is an additional member of an organization. A supernumerary is also a non-regular member of a staff, a member of the staff or an employee who works in a public office who is not part of the manpower complement...
in the Opus Dei organisation. Previously, uncertainty has existed over Kelly's Opus Dei membership, partly because she herself has declined when asked to say whether or not she is a member, saying that the matter is a private one, and saying only that she has received 'spiritual support' from them.
Career as an MP
In the 1997 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Kelly gained the seat of Bolton West from the Conservatives
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...
while heavily pregnant, and gave birth to her first son eleven days later. She gained her place in parliament as Tony Blair became Prime Minister with Labour's landslide election victory.
She served on the Treasury Select Committee; she was also appointed 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 the Agriculture Minister
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
, Nick Brown
Nick Brown
Nicholas Hugh "Nick" Brown is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne East since 1983...
from 1998. Kelly was a member of a commission set up by 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...
into the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
, which expressed some scepticism about the operation of the policy.
After Labour won 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...
, Kelly was appointed 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...
. Her role focused on competition policy and small businesses. After a year she was promoted to be Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
, giving her responsibility for regulation of the financial services industry. In both positions her principal task was in the thorough revision of the Financial Services regulation system which was introduced by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Financial Services Authority as a regulator for insurance, investment business and banking.-Outline:...
. Kelly brought in new regulations to tackle the funding of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
after the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Kelly was assigned the task of dealing with Equitable Life after the Penrose Report into the life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
company was published. She rejected calls for government compensation to Equitable policyholders, on the grounds that the losses arose from actions of the company rather than from any defect of regulation, and that it was still trading. Equitable policyholders continued to demand redress.
As a mother of four young children, she refused to work the long hours normally associated with such positions and refused to take a red box
Red box (government)
The term "Red box" informally refers to a ministerial box used by ministers in the British government to carry their documents. Similar in appearance to a briefcase, they are primarily used to hold and transport official departmental papers from place to place.-Ministerial box:The design of...
in the evening whilst at the Treasury.
In a minor reshuffle, she was promoted to be Minister for the Cabinet Office
Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Minister for the Cabinet Office is a position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The post of Minister of the Cabinet Office is sometimes derided as the Minister for the Today programme.-Ministers for the Cabinet Office:...
on 9 September 2004, replacing 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...
. Kelly guided the Civil Contingencies Bill through its final stages in Parliament, which faced serious objections from some civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
campaigns.
Party loyalty
Kelly hardly ever rebelled (voted) against the position of her Party and in the most divisive votes over Labour's term Kelly followed the Party line. She voted for the Iraq war and subsequently voted against an independent investigation into the run-up to the war. Kelly also voted for the introduction of tuition Top-up feesTop-up fees
Tuition fees were first introduced across the entire United Kingdom in September 1998 as a means of funding tuition to undergraduate and postgraduate certificate students at universities, with students being required to pay up to £1,000 a year for tuition...
in a vote that saw a massive rebellion amongst Labour MPs.
Ruth Kelly also voted for the introduction of identity cards, voted for replacing Trident and argued against the addition of a sunset clause in part 2 of the controversial Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that establishes a coherent framework for emergency planning and response ranging from local to national level...
.
In a free parliamentary vote on 20 May 2008, she voted for cutting the upper limit for abortions from 24 to 12 weeks, along with two other Catholic cabinet ministers Des Browne
Des Browne
Desmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010...
and Paul Murphy.
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
In the reshuffle following the resignation of David BlunkettDavid Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
on 15 December 2004, Kelly entered the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
(also becoming a member of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
) with the position of Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
. She became the youngest woman ever to sit in the Cabinet.
The Government's Extended Schools policy, which plans to open some schools from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and provide child-care services for working parents, has been dubbed by some as "Kelly hours" after Kelly. although the National Childcare Strategy with before and after school care funded in most schools by the New Opportunities Fund pre-dated extended schools (and Ruth Kelly's ministerial tenure) by several years. The extended schools initiative is predicated on wider use of and access to schools as community resources, not just for parents and children. Her proposals in the 2005 white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
to reduce the number and influence of parent governors
School governors
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are members of a school's Governing Body. In state schools they have responsibility for raising school standards through their three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and acting as a critical friend...
in Trust Schools, were seen as a partial reversal of this earlier stance.
Kelly attracted considerable criticism by rejecting the proposals of the Tomlinson report on education reform for the 14–19 age group, which suggested replacing A level exams with a four-tier diploma. After the 2005 election, it was rumoured that she was to be demoted back into her old post at the Treasury and although she kept her position at the DfES, she was said to have been "less than thrilled" by the appointment of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's adviser Andrew Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis is a British academic, journalist, Labour Party politician and Life Peer, who was Secretary of State for Transport between 2009-2010....
as a Minister within her Department.
Sex offenders in schools controversy
On 9 January 2006, it came to light that Kelly’s department had granted permission for a man, Paul Reeve, who had been cautioned by police for viewing child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
images and who was on a sex offenders register
Violent and Sex Offender Register
In the United Kingdom, the Violent and Sex Offender Register is a database of records of those required to register with the Police under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, those jailed for more than 12 months for violent offences, and unconvicted people simply thought to be at risk of offending...
, to be employed at a school in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
on the basis that he had not been convicted of an offence. He and an unknown number of others on the sex offenders register, were not on the DfES prohibited list, "List 99".
On 13 January, Kim Howells
Kim Howells
Kim Scott Howells is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Pontypridd from 1989 to 2010, and held a number of ministerial positions within the Government.-Biography:...
, a Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the DfES, admitted that it was he who had actually made the decision, in accordance with advice given to him by civil servants that the "person did not represent an ongoing threat to children but that he should be given a grave warning". In response to the critical media coverage surrounding the issue, Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
issued a statement confirming their confidence in Kelly and denying rumours that she was to be replaced.
There was further controversy when it transpired that another teacher, William Gibson, 59, who had been cleared to work at Portchester School in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
despite the fact that he had been convicted in 1980 for indecent assault
Indecent assault
Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...
on a 15-year-old girl and had been previously removed from three schools. A letter from the Department for Education that suggested the Secretary of State had considered his case and found that although his past actions had been unwise and unacceptable, he had undertaken teaching work to good effect since.
Trust schools
A notable controversy in Ruth Kelly's time at the DfES was the proposed introduction of Trust schools. The Trusts were intended to be non-profit making and to have charitable status, although they could be formed by commercial enterprises. In fact one of the early DfES-hosted seminars on the establishment of Trusts included representatives from MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
. But it is their ability to set their own admission arrangements that generated the most criticism.
A large number of Labour backbenchers, as well as numerous Labour luminaries like 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...
and former Education Secretary Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
, made known their opposition to the proposals and published an alternative white paper. Faced with such a rebellion, the government initially stressed that it would press on with the reforms. However new Tory
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...
leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
unexpectedly announced that these reforms were in line with Tory policies and that he would support the bill if presented in the proposed form. The government were faced with the prospect of pushing through their reforms only with opposition support and in the face of increased resistance from its own supporters.
When the Education and Inspections Bill 2006 was finally published on 28 February 2006, it contained much of what had been trailed, although most notable by its absence was any mention of "trust school". Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools were left to pick up the mantle of trust schools.
Religion and political views
The effect of her religious viewpoint on her opinions regarding controversial scientific questions has been of concern to some scientists who have speculated that her religious views could have an effect on government policy regarding stem cell research.It is also suggested by the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
that her personal beliefs are incompatible with her equality brief as they make her unable to champion gay rights following reports of a cabinet split on proposals to prevent religious organisations from refusing services to people on grounds of their sexuality.
Children's schooling
All four of Ruth Kelly's children started at a Roman Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, in Wapping
Wapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
, a voluntary aided school
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
. However on 8 January 2007, the Daily Mirror revealed that she had withdrawn her son from the school, and — following professional advice — sent him to a preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
which specialises in the education of boys aged 7–13 with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and/or Developmental Dyspraxia. Kelly said the state schools in her borough, Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
, did not adequately cater for her child's needs and that her intention was for him to attend the school for "a couple of years before he begins at a state secondary school". Though the additional cost for specialist support outside the state sector sometimes is paid for by the local authority, Kelly stated she has not and will not seek the help of the local authority in meeting these costs.
According to Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education
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 ....
inspection in 2002 "those with special educational needs, make particularly good progress" at English Martyrs Roman Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
, and that pupils generally meet "standards that are much better than those gained by pupils in similar schools". The school achieved the best exam results in the borough of Tower Hamlets and among the best in the UK, with 96% of children reaching the expected standard for English, and 100% for Maths and Science. The area's education authority, Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
, also runs six special needs schools
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
within reach of Kelly's home and responded to the controversy saying, "We are proud of the quality of education we offer to all children. We have a strong record in helping children with a wide range of learning needs to succeed."
Ian Gibson
Ian Gibson (politician)
Ian Gibson is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009...
, Labour MP for Norwich North, called the decision "a slap in the face for the teachers and pupils in the school the child has been taken out of". However, Conservative party
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...
leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, whose own disabled son Ivan attended a state special needs school, defended her decision, saying "People should recognise that politicians like everyone else are parents first and will act in the best interests of their children".
Kelly made a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
about the Mirrors reporting of the story, but the complaint was rejected, with the PCC ruling that the story was "a matter of considerable public interest", given that she is "a Cabinet minister - who had previously been Secretary of State for Education and Skills", and "even if government policy included an acceptance of private schooling for those with special needs, the fact that the complainant did not feel that the current state system could meet her child's requirements raised questions about the nature of publicly-funded schooling and its ability to cater for children with special needs - including those whose families would not be able to pay for private schooling."
Fathers for Justice attacks
On two occasions Kelly has been targeted by members of fathers' rights group Fathers 4 JusticeFathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice began as a fathers’ rights organisation in the United Kingdom. It became prominent and frequently discussed in the media following a series of high-visibility stunts and protests often in costume. It was temporarily disbanded in January 2006, following allegations of a plot by...
in egg-throwing incidents. On 6 February 2006, she was to give evidence at Salford Magistrates Court in the case of Fathers 4 Justice protester Simon Wilmot-Coverdale in connection with an incident in April 2005 when an egg was thrown at her. As she left the court, she was again attacked; this time by Michael Downes the egg smashing on the back of her head. Downes was fined and given an ASBO
Åsbo
Åsbo can refer to:*Åsbo Northern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Åsbo Southern Hundred, a hundred in Scania...
in relation to the incident, which he proceeded to rip up outside the court, promising to continue to fight for father's rights.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
After the English local elections in May 2006, Ruth Kelly was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
, a position created when these functions were split off from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Department also took over the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
's responsibilities for active communities and civic renewal. She was also given the post of Minister for Women and Equality
Minister for Women and Equality
The post of Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom with responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality.-History:...
. Ruth Kelly's successor at the Department for Education and Skills was Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
.
On 16 October 2006, she announced that her new role would involve cutting down on extremists within communities.
Gay equality issues
When she became Minister for Women and Equality, she was criticised on both BBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, and on the front page of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
of 10 May 2006, for having failed to support any measures in favour of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rights since 1997 when the Labour government came to power. It was pointed out that she had absented herself from votes on such issues as equalisation of the age of consent, and gay adoption
Adoption by same-sex couples
LGBT adoption is the adoption of children by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. This may be in the form of a joint adoption by a same-sex couple, adoption by one partner of a same-sex couple of the other's biological child , and adoption by a single LGBT person.Adoption by same-sex...
, and had voted for a motion that would prevent same-sex couples from adoption. Out of fourteen votes during the Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
government that have concerned equal gay rights, Ruth Kelly had only attended two. Kelly was also criticised for refusing to comment on whether she considered that homosexuality is a sin. Gay-rights activist Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
commented: "Tony Blair would never appoint someone to a race equality post who had a lukewarm record of opposing racism".
In a letter published in The Times on 11 May 2006, the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Roman Catholic diocese of Westminster
Diocese of Westminster
The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of England, extant from 1540 - 1550.The Diocese was created from part of the Diocese of London, and comprised Westminster , and the county of Middlesex, with the exception of Fulham...
voiced criticism to allegations that Ruth Kelly’s Catholicism might be considered incompatible with her role as Equality Minister. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor wrote "Ms Kelly may well be scrutinised for her fitness in office. That is a political judgement. But her Catholicism should not be a criterion in forming that judgement."
The Observer newspaper reported on 15 October 2006 that Kelly had joined the Prime Minister in seeking to exempt churches from new laws prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in the provisions of goods and services, and in employment. In the light of these reports, the Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Equalities spokesperson, Lorely Burt
Lorely Burt
Lorely Jane Burt is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Solihull.-Early life:She went to University College, Swansea, achieving a BSc in Economics...
, called for Kelly to give up her responsibility for equalities, claiming Kelly's personal beliefs were incompatible with defending gay rights. It was reported in January 2007 that Kelly supported an exemption for Catholic adoption agencies from new laws barring discrimination in adoption for same-sex couples, suggesting instead that applicants should instead be referred to other agencies.
Planning decisions
Ruth Kelly demonstrated some opposition to the development of skyscrapers from her first months as Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
. In November 2006, she stopped the Brunswick Quay proposal, which represented over £100 million worth of investment into Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, from going ahead. The final report of the planners who carried out the public inquiry had recommended approval for the project. In December 2006, she called a public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into the 20 Fenchurch Street tower in London's financial district
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...
, on the basis that a tall building would be "unsuitable for this site". In May 2007, she blocked a 42-storey, 120 m tower in the New England Quarter
New England Quarter
The New England Quarter is a mixed-use development in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. It was built between 2004 and 2008 on the largest brownfield site in the city, adjacent to Brighton railway station...
development in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, designed by Allies and Morrison
Allies and Morrison
Allies and Morrison is a London-based architectural practice founded by Bob Allies and Graham Morrison in 1984. The practice is now headed up by 10 Partners and employs around 210 people in their purpose designed studios at 85 Southwark Street...
and being planned by the Beetham Organization
Beetham Organization
The Beetham Organisation is a privately owned property development and investment company based in Liverpool, UK. It was founded by Hugh Frost as Oastdren Investments in 1985. Its primary focus is city centre real estate, specialising in hotel, residential and office projects...
. She approved the building of new homes and businesses in Walker
Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Walker is a residential suburb and electoral ward just east of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Walker's name is a hybrid of Old English and Viking Norse, "Wall-kjerr", where "kjerr" is Norse for "marshy woodland"...
, Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, in a bid to regenerate the area.
Secretary of State for Transport
Ruth Kelly was appointed to the position in Gordon Brown's new cabinet on 27 June in a government reshuffle, though it had been speculated she would be removed from the cabinet. Within a few days of entering her job, she faced tough work as she was responsible for securing the public's safety through transport after some attempted terrorist attacks. She came under fire for admitting along with other Labour Ministers that she had smoked CannabisCannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
as a teenager.
Support for biofuels
Kelly's support for biofuels drew criticism from activists who felt that it impoverishes third world farmers to assuage first world environmental guilt. "If people starve because of biofuels, Ruth Kelly and her peers will have killed them," wrote environmetalist George MonbiotGeorge Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot is an English writer, known for his environmental and political activism. He lives in Machynlleth, Wales, writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books, including Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain and Bring on the...
in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. "Like all such crimes, it is perpetrated by cowards, attacking the weak to avoid confronting the strong."
Railways
Ruth Kelly announced a major increase of railway capacity by providing extra trains across the country by 2010 which drew criticism for her London bias as most of the funding will be spent there. Kelly gave the go-ahead in 2007 for billions of pounds of public money to be spent on the CrossrailCrossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
project in London which caused outrage amongst MPs in other cities, especially Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, who have been told no public transport funding will be given without a Congestion Charge scheme.
Heathrow expansion
Ruth Kelly set out proposals for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow under new extensive plans. Gordon Brown admitted this was one of the biggest challenges which faced the UK Government over the coming years. The plans have been drawn up and are free to access here.Misuse of public funds
In November 2007 it emerged that Kelly had misused part of her £10,000 communications allowance for party political material. The funds should have only been used for politically neutral material, and Kelly apologised for breaking the rules.Cabinet resignation
In September 2008 Ruth Kelly announced her intention to resign from the cabinet to spend more time with her family. This ended her time as Transport Secretary and cabinet minister after four years. She did not stand at the 2010 general election. Damian McBrideDamian McBride
Damian McBride is a former civil servant and former special advisor to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. McBride began his civil service career at HM Customs and Excise...
, a former senior Labour Party strategist, was shifted from being Gordon Brown's political spokesperson to Number 10, after criticism of how he handled Ruth Kelly's resignation.
Parliamentary expenses
On 18 May 2009 Kelly became involved in the MPs' Expenses Scandal when the Daily Telegraph revealed she had claimed a total of £31,000 between 2004 and 2008 for rebuilding, refurbishing, and purchasing appliances for her second home.It was subsequently revealed on 21 May 2009 that some of this money was used to repair damage caused by a burst pipe. Kelly was insured for this damage but did not claim on that insurance after being advised by the fees office that a reasonable amount could be claimed under the allowances system.
Subsequent career
In May 2010 it was announced that Kelly would take a senior role in HSBCHSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
's corporate development team's strategy unit.
See also
- Cabinet of the United KingdomCabinet of the United KingdomThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
- List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council
- Teachings of Opus DeiTeachings of Opus DeiTeachings of Opus Dei are the teachings of the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.The following are the main features of Escrivá's spiritual teachings, the basis of the message Opus Dei was tasked to spread...
- Opus Dei and politicsOpus Dei and politicsOpus Dei and politics is a discussion on Opus Dei's view on politics, its role in politics and its members involvement in politics. There were accusations that the Catholic personal prelature of Opus Dei has had links with far-right governments worldwide, including Franco's and Hitler's regimes....
External links
- Communities and Local Government page
- Women & Equality Unit
- Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle: Ruth Kelly MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com — Ruth Kelly MP
- BBC Profile (May 2006)
- BBC Politics page
- News article on egg 'maniac'
- Ruth Kelly website by the Labour Party
Audio clips
- Talking about literacy on the Westminster Hour in April 2005
- Speaking on the Today programme in 2002 about Stock Market uncertainties when Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Video clips
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-