Louise Ellman
Encyclopedia
Louise Joyce Ellman is a British
Labour Co-operative
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Liverpool Riverside
since 1997
. In parliament she is Chair of the Transport Select Committee and a member of the Liaison Committee.
to a British Jewish
family. She was educated at the independent Manchester High School for Girls
, before studying at the University of Hull
where she received a Bachelor of Arts
in Sociology and History in 1967, and went on to study Social Administration at the University of York
where she was awarded a Master of Philosophy
in 1972. From 1970, she worked as a lecturer for the Open University
in further education
, leaving in 1976. She was elected as a councillor on the Lancashire County Council
in 1970, becoming the Labour group leader in 1977, and she led the council from 1981 until her election to Parliament
. She was Vice Chair of Lancashire Enterprises.
constituency at the 1979 general election
where she was defeated by the sitting veteran Conservative
MP Charles Fletcher-Cooke by 13,026 votes.
She was elected to Parliament at the 1997 general election
for the safe seat of Liverpool Riverside. She held the seat with a majority of 21,799 and has held the seat comfortably since. She made her maiden speech
on 9 June 1997. She has been a member of the Transport Committee
and its predecessor Transport, Local Government and the Regions since her election in 1997. Ellman is also the Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement
and Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Israel
and has been an active spokeswoman in Parliament on issues relating to transport, local government and the Middle East. She has also played an active effort in the effort to pressure the Bulgarian government to free Michael Shields and recently, Gillian Gibbons - the teacher jailed in Sudan for blasphemy who has now been pardoned. When elected in 2001, the turnout of the vote in her constituency was the lowest in the country at just 34.1%.
On 21 May 2008, she was selected to become the Chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee - the chair becoming vacant after the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody MP.
, in March 2004 she defended Israeli assassination of Sheikh Yasin, the 66 year old spiritual leader of Hamas
and told Parliament
that “Israel’s action in killing Sheikh Yasin was a legitimate response to an extraordinary situation”. She voted "very strongly for" the Iraq War, "very strongly against" an investigation into that war, and "very strongly for" renewal of Trident, Britain's nuclear weapons programme. She is a supporter of gay rights and an opponent of foundation hospitals, the un-elected House of Lords, and fox-hunting. In her time in Parliament she has very rarely voted against the Party
line.
In April 2010, she voted for the Digital Economy Bill, helping to rush it through parliament without proper scrutiny, in the "washup" process before the general election.
In January 2011, during a debate on Anti-semitism
she asked: "Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern that the anti-Semitism that he describes is rarely opposed by those who declare themselves anti-racist?".
then moved to Skelmersdale
in 1969. They have a son and a daughter.
targeting Mrs Ellman and Luciana Berger
for their membership of Labour Friends of Israel
and was headed "Don't vote for Friends of Israel".
A leaflet headed "Remember Gaza" and subheaded "Don't vote for Labour Friends of Israel" was written and widely distributed by Liverpool Friends of Palestine and appears on labournet. An article appeared in the Jewish Chronicle entitled 'Racist leaflets against Jewish candidates in Liverpool.'.
evening current affairs programme "Newsnight
" to comment on a televised report shown in the programme, by the renowned children's author Michael Morpurgo
. Tensions were raised during the feature between Ellman, Morpurgo and host Jeremy Paxman
, exemplified by this quote:
Ellman: "Well, how can they meet and how can they meet without a barrier when Hamas are sending those very children with their explosive belts across to kill Israeli children and Israeli civilians. All of that has to stop, but no one is entirely innocent here."
The BBC adjudication criticised Ellman and said: "It may well be that Mrs Ellman had in mind instances which dated back to 2003 or earlier, but she spoke in the present tense, and in terms which gave the impression that the use of child suicide-bombers by Hamas was a key consideration in the current situation."
Mrs Ellman declined to comment. http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/51980/bbc-raps-jeremy-paxman-hamas
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 Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
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 Liverpool Riverside
Liverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Riverside is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
since 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...
. In parliament she is Chair of the Transport Select Committee and a member of the Liaison Committee.
Early life
Ellman was born in ManchesterManchester
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...
to a British Jewish
British Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
family. She was educated at the independent Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom...
, before studying at the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
where she received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Sociology and History in 1967, and went on to study Social Administration at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
where she was awarded a Master of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
in 1972. From 1970, she worked as a lecturer for the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
in further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
, leaving in 1976. She was elected as a councillor on the Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
in 1970, becoming the Labour group leader in 1977, and she led the council from 1981 until her election to Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. She was Vice Chair of Lancashire Enterprises.
Parliamentary career
She unsuccessfully contested the DarwenDarwen (UK Parliament constituency)
Darwen was a county constituency in Lancashire, centred on the town of Darwen. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election....
constituency at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
where she was defeated by the sitting veteran Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Charles Fletcher-Cooke by 13,026 votes.
She was elected to Parliament at 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...
for the safe seat of Liverpool Riverside. She held the seat with a majority of 21,799 and has held the seat comfortably since. She 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...
on 9 June 1997. She has been a member of the Transport Committee
Transport Committee
The Transport Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies.-Membership:As of 18 July 2011,...
and its predecessor Transport, Local Government and the Regions since her election in 1997. Ellman is also the Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement
Jewish Labour Movement
The Jewish Labour Movement , founded in 2004, is the successor organisation to Poale Zion. It is affiliated with the Labour Party in the UK as a Socialist society....
and Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
and has been an active spokeswoman in Parliament on issues relating to transport, local government and the Middle East. She has also played an active effort in the effort to pressure the Bulgarian government to free Michael Shields and recently, Gillian Gibbons - the teacher jailed in Sudan for blasphemy who has now been pardoned. When elected in 2001, the turnout of the vote in her constituency was the lowest in the country at just 34.1%.
On 21 May 2008, she was selected to become the Chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee - the chair becoming vacant after the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody MP.
Views
Ellman is a member of Labour Friends of IsraelLabour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
, in March 2004 she defended Israeli assassination of Sheikh Yasin, the 66 year old spiritual leader of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and told Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
that “Israel’s action in killing Sheikh Yasin was a legitimate response to an extraordinary situation”. She voted "very strongly for" the Iraq War, "very strongly against" an investigation into that war, and "very strongly for" renewal of Trident, Britain's nuclear weapons programme. She is a supporter of gay rights and an opponent of foundation hospitals, the un-elected House of Lords, and fox-hunting. In her time in Parliament she has very rarely voted against the 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...
line.
In April 2010, she voted for the Digital Economy Bill, helping to rush it through parliament without proper scrutiny, in the "washup" process before the general election.
In January 2011, during a debate on Anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
she asked: "Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern that the anti-Semitism that he describes is rarely opposed by those who declare themselves anti-racist?".
Personal life
Ellman has been married since 16 July 1967 to Geoffrey Ellman, a pharmacist. She lived in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
then moved to Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, to the west of Wigan, to the northeast of Liverpool, south-southwest of Preston. As of 2006, Skelmersdale had a population of 38,813, down from 41,000 in 2004. The town is known locally as Skem.The...
in 1969. They have a son and a daughter.
Sean Ellman
In March 2010, her son Sean Ellman was exposed in the national newspapers as selling the legal drug mephedrone, known as meow meow, from a chain of shops across the North of England. She said: “I disapprove of the trade involving miaow-miaow, legal highs or drugs in general. I am on record speaking out strongly against drugs and will continue to do so.”2010 Election
In the 2010 Election campaign leaflets had been distributed in her constituency of Liverpool RiversideLiverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Riverside is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
targeting Mrs Ellman and Luciana Berger
Luciana Berger
Luciana Clare Berger is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree since 2010...
for their membership of Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
and was headed "Don't vote for Friends of Israel".
A leaflet headed "Remember Gaza" and subheaded "Don't vote for Labour Friends of Israel" was written and widely distributed by Liverpool Friends of Palestine and appears on labournet. An article appeared in the Jewish Chronicle entitled 'Racist leaflets against Jewish candidates in Liverpool.'.
Israel - Newsnight 14 February 2011
On 14 February 2011 she was invited by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
evening current affairs programme "Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
" to comment on a televised report shown in the programme, by the renowned children's author Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo, OBE FKC AKC is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his work in children's literature. He was the third Children's Laureate.-Early life:...
. Tensions were raised during the feature between Ellman, Morpurgo and host Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
, exemplified by this quote:
Ellman: "Well, how can they meet and how can they meet without a barrier when Hamas are sending those very children with their explosive belts across to kill Israeli children and Israeli civilians. All of that has to stop, but no one is entirely innocent here."
The BBC adjudication criticised Ellman and said: "It may well be that Mrs Ellman had in mind instances which dated back to 2003 or earlier, but she spoke in the present tense, and in terms which gave the impression that the use of child suicide-bombers by Hamas was a key consideration in the current situation."
Mrs Ellman declined to comment. http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/51980/bbc-raps-jeremy-paxman-hamas
External links
- http://www.louiseellman.co.uk Official Site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Louise Ellman MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Louise Ellman MP
- Parliamentary biography from DodOnline
- Skelmersdale Heritage Society
- BBC Politics page