Emily Thornberry
Encyclopedia
Emily Anne Thornberry is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005
.
to a London School of Economics
Law Professor
Cedric Thornberry
and his wife who was a teacher
. Her parents divorced when Thornberry was aged seven and she and her two brothers lived with her mother who later became a Labour councillor and Mayor. For some time they lived in poverty, with free school meals and without sufficient heating. Her father went on to become United Nations
assistant Secretary General and work for NATO. She was educated at the University of Kent at Canterbury
where she studied Law
, and practised as a barrister
specialising in human rights from 1985 to 2005 in Tooks Chambers under Michael Mansfield
.
Thornberry joined the Transport and General Workers Union in 1985. In the late 1980s she became friends with Waheed (now Lord) Alli, and persuaded him to join the Labour Party.
she stood for Parliament in Canterbury
, being defeated by the Conservative incumbent, Julian Brazier
.
Following the retirement of Chris Smith (now Lord Smith
), Thornberry was selected as the Labour candidate for the Islington South and Finsbury at the 2005 General Election
through a controversial All-Women Shortlist She was elected with a much reduced majority of 484 as a result of a large swing to the Liberal Democrats. Nick Smith
, who later became a fellow MP, was her election agent.
Thornberry made her maiden speech
in the House on 24 May 2005. She has been a member of the Environmental Audit Committee and was on the Communities & Local Government Select Committee in the 2005-10 Parliament. She is vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group and the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Choice and Sexual Health Group.
Thornberry's main interests since being a Parliamentarian have been in health, housing, the environment, and equality. Since being elected, she has spoken many times on the need for more affordable housing, particularly in Islington
. In 2006, Thornberry introduced the Housing Association Bill - a private member's Bill which sought to improve the control of housing association residents over their landlords. Many of the ideas from this Bill were taken up by the Cave Review. On the environment, Thornberry has worked with Friends of the Earth
and WWF
on campaigns for a Climate Change Bill and a Marine Bill. In 2006, Thornberry won the epolitix.com award for Environment Champion of the Year after being nominated by WWF.
In 2008, she helped to organise the votes of progressive MPs in the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill. In the Commons, she spoke to defend the right of lesbian mothers to access IVF treatment, and was criticised by other MPs including Conservative MP Sir Patrick Cormack
and DUP member Iris Robinson
. Following her intervention, she was nominated for Stonewall
Politician of the Year 2008.
In March 2008, Thornberry claimed that almost every child in Islington had been mugged at some stage. This was denied by the Metropolitan Police as 'speculation', pointing out that out of a borough population of 180,000, only 750 people under 18 had reported being the victims of mugging in 2007. However, the comments were seen as a hindrance to Labour London mayor Ken Livingstone
's re-election campaign.
Though normally voting with the Whip
, Thornberry has voted against the Government on national security matters, regarding the detention of terror suspects without charge for 90 days in the Terrorism Act 2006
, on the same matter for 42 days in the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008
, and against the renewal of Trident
.
In May 2010, Thornberry was re-elected as MP for Islington South and Finsbury with a substantially increased majority.
Thornberry missed out on a place in Labour's Shadow Cabinet
by one vote, but she was rewarded for her performance with a role as a Shadow Health Minister, under Shadow Health Secretary John Healey
. In October 2011, she was appointed Shadow Attorney General, and accordingly is able to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings.
, Sir Philip Mawer
, received a complaint from Steve Hitchens, then-leader of Islington Council, that Ms Thornberry had "altered an electronic copy of an Electoral Commission
news release by inserting a quotation from herself". The complaint centred on a quote from Ms Thornberry which said "Its extremely worrying that only 67% have registered for Islington’s May Council elections", which Mr Hitchens saw as confusing the electoral registration response rate with the registration rate itself.
During the investigation, the Committee on Standards and Privileges
heard that "the Electoral Commission does not think it acceptable that Ms Thornberry changed its press release without its permission. It believes that the quote inserted by Ms Thornberry was both politically contentious and misleading." However, the Commissioner accepted that Thornberry's primary motive was to act in the public interest by supporting the Electoral Commission’s campaign to improve response rates, and consequently levels of voter registration. He found her actions to have been "unwise and unfortunate" but that "there was no intention on her part to deceive or manipulate the public, nor had that been the effect of her actions", and the Committee agreed with his findings.
of Wilberforce Chambers in July 1991 in the borough of Tower Hamlets
. He is a deputy High Court judge, and they live in Barnsbury
. Since 1993 she has lived on Richmond Crescent, where Tony Blair
lived until the 1997 general election
, moving in on the same day that the Blairs moved in. She also part owns properties in Guildford
and South London.
In April 2005 it emerged that Thornberry had sent her son to the selective Dame Alice Owen's School
14 miles away from her home and outside her constituency. The Labour Party opposes selection and Thornberry was widely criticised over the issue as a result. Chris Woodhead
, the former chief inspector of schools stated "I celebrate her good sense as a parent and deplore her hypocrisy as a politician. When will those who espouse the virtues of comprehensive education apply the logic of their political message to their children." The controversy had strong echoes of the cases of Harriet Harman
, Tony Blair
and Diane Abbott
. Thornberry's daughter now also attends the school. She defended her position by stating she felt the school should not have moved from its original location.
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 Islington South and Finsbury 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....
.
Before Parliament
Thornberry was born in North SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
to a 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...
Law Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Cedric Thornberry
Cedric Thornberry
Cedric Thornberry is an international lawyer and former Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations, for which he worked for 17 years. He spent most of his United Nations service in international peace keeping in Cyprus, the Middle East, ex-Yugoslavia and Somalia.-Background:Cedric Thornberry...
and his wife who was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Her parents divorced when Thornberry was aged seven and she and her two brothers lived with her mother who later became a Labour councillor and Mayor. For some time they lived in poverty, with free school meals and without sufficient heating. Her father went on to become United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
assistant Secretary General and work for NATO. She was educated at the University of Kent at Canterbury
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
where she studied Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, and practised as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
specialising in human rights from 1985 to 2005 in Tooks Chambers under Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield QC is an English barrister. A republican, vegetarian, socialist, and self-described "radical lawyer", he has participated in prominent and controversial court cases and inquests involving accused IRA bombers, the Bloody Sunday incident, and the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes...
.
Thornberry joined the Transport and General Workers Union in 1985. In the late 1980s she became friends with Waheed (now Lord) Alli, and persuaded him to join the Labour Party.
Parliamentary career
In the 2001 General ElectionUnited 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 stood for Parliament in Canterbury
Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Canterbury is a county constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, being defeated by the Conservative incumbent, Julian Brazier
Julian Brazier
Julian William Hendy Brazier TD is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Canterbury...
.
Following the retirement of Chris Smith (now Lord Smith
Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury
Christopher "Chris" Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury PC is a British Labour Party politician, and a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister...
), Thornberry was selected as the Labour candidate for the Islington South and Finsbury at 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....
through a controversial All-Women Shortlist She was elected with a much reduced majority of 484 as a result of a large swing to the Liberal Democrats. Nick Smith
Nick Smith (British politician)
Nicholas Desmond John Smith , known as Nick Smith, is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent since the May 2010 election...
, who later became a fellow MP, was her election agent.
Thornberry made her maiden speech
Maiden 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...
in the House on 24 May 2005. She has been a member of the Environmental Audit Committee and was on the Communities & Local Government Select Committee in the 2005-10 Parliament. She is vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group and the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Choice and Sexual Health Group.
Thornberry's main interests since being a Parliamentarian have been in health, housing, the environment, and equality. Since being elected, she has spoken many times on the need for more affordable housing, particularly in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. In 2006, Thornberry introduced the Housing Association Bill - a private member's Bill which sought to improve the control of housing association residents over their landlords. Many of the ideas from this Bill were taken up by the Cave Review. On the environment, Thornberry has worked with Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
and WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
on campaigns for a Climate Change Bill and a Marine Bill. In 2006, Thornberry won the epolitix.com award for Environment Champion of the Year after being nominated by WWF.
In 2008, she helped to organise the votes of progressive MPs in the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill. In the Commons, she spoke to defend the right of lesbian mothers to access IVF treatment, and was criticised by other MPs including Conservative MP Sir Patrick Cormack
Patrick Cormack
Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, FSA DL is a British politician, historian, journalist and author. He was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010.-Early life:...
and DUP member Iris Robinson
Iris Robinson
Iris Robinson is a former Northern Ireland Unionist politician. She is married to Peter Robinson, who is currently the First Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly....
. Following her intervention, she was nominated for Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
Politician of the Year 2008.
In March 2008, Thornberry claimed that almost every child in Islington had been mugged at some stage. This was denied by the Metropolitan Police as 'speculation', pointing out that out of a borough population of 180,000, only 750 people under 18 had reported being the victims of mugging in 2007. However, the comments were seen as a hindrance to Labour London mayor Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
's re-election campaign.
Though normally voting with the Whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
, Thornberry has voted against the Government on national security matters, regarding the detention of terror suspects without charge for 90 days in the Terrorism Act 2006
Terrorism Act 2006
The Terrorism Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006, after being introduced on 12 October 2005. The Act creates new offences related to terrorism, and amends existing ones. The Act was drafted in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005...
, on the same matter for 42 days in the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008
Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008
The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which increased police powers for the stated purpose of countering terrorism...
, and against the renewal of Trident
UK Trident programme
The UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom's Trident missile-based nuclear weapons programme. Under the programme, the Royal Navy operates 58 nuclear-armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and around 200 nuclear warheads on 4 Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines from...
.
In May 2010, Thornberry was re-elected as MP for Islington South and Finsbury with a substantially increased majority.
Thornberry missed out on a place in Labour's Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
by one vote, but she was rewarded for her performance with a role as a Shadow Health Minister, under Shadow Health Secretary 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 October 2011, she was appointed Shadow Attorney General, and accordingly is able to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings.
Social housing campaign
During the course of a campaign run by Thornberry on the subject of social housing, the Islington Tribune, a local newspaper, discovered her husband had bought ex-social housing stock for over half a million pounds and receives rental income from the property. It also emerged that the new residents are Labour Party activists. Councillor Terry Stacy was highly critical, stating “Thornberry has tried to make a name for herself by opposing Islington’s policies on affordable housing. This is nothing less than hypocrisy.”Electoral Commission complaint
In 2006, the Parliamentary Commissioner for StandardsParliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons.He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.- Tasks :...
, Sir Philip Mawer
Philip Mawer
Sir Philip Mawer was the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from 2002 until 2008 when he became an independent advisor on Ministerial standards to Gordon Brown. He was previously Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England....
, received a complaint from Steve Hitchens, then-leader of Islington Council, that Ms Thornberry had "altered an electronic copy of an Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
news release by inserting a quotation from herself". The complaint centred on a quote from Ms Thornberry which said "Its extremely worrying that only 67% have registered for Islington’s May Council elections", which Mr Hitchens saw as confusing the electoral registration response rate with the registration rate itself.
During the investigation, the Committee on Standards and Privileges
Committee on Standards and Privileges
The Standards and Privileges Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges...
heard that "the Electoral Commission does not think it acceptable that Ms Thornberry changed its press release without its permission. It believes that the quote inserted by Ms Thornberry was both politically contentious and misleading." However, the Commissioner accepted that Thornberry's primary motive was to act in the public interest by supporting the Electoral Commission’s campaign to improve response rates, and consequently levels of voter registration. He found her actions to have been "unwise and unfortunate" but that "there was no intention on her part to deceive or manipulate the public, nor had that been the effect of her actions", and the Committee agreed with his findings.
Personal life
Thornberry has lived in Islington since the early 1990s. She has two sons (born December 1991 and July 1999) and a daughter (born November 1993). She married Christopher Nugee QCQueen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
of Wilberforce Chambers in July 1991 in the borough of 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...
. He is a deputy High Court judge, and they live in Barnsbury
Barnsbury
Barnsbury is an area of north London in the London Borough of Islington, in the N1 postal districts.The name is a corruption of villa de Iseldon Berners , being so called after the Berners family: powerful medieval manorial lords who gained ownership of a large part of Islington after the Norman...
. Since 1993 she has lived on Richmond Crescent, where 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...
lived until the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, moving in on the same day that the Blairs moved in. She also part owns properties in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and South London.
In April 2005 it emerged that Thornberry had sent her son to the selective Dame Alice Owen's School
Dame Alice Owen's School
Dame Alice Owen's School is a mixed voluntary aided secondary school in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, England, founded in the London Borough of Islington.-Admissions:...
14 miles away from her home and outside her constituency. The Labour Party opposes selection and Thornberry was widely criticised over the issue as a result. Chris Woodhead
Chris Woodhead
Sir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
, the former chief inspector of schools stated "I celebrate her good sense as a parent and deplore her hypocrisy as a politician. When will those who espouse the virtues of comprehensive education apply the logic of their political message to their children." The controversy had strong echoes of the cases of Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, 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...
and Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
. Thornberry's daughter now also attends the school. She defended her position by stating she felt the school should not have moved from its original location.
External links
- They Work For You
- Islington South & Finsbury Labour Party
- Ask Aristotle
- BBC Politics page
- Debretts People of Today
Audio clips
- Women's Parliamentary Radio Online audio interview discussing her life as a female MP