Paula Barker
{{short description|British Labour politician}}
{{Distinguish|Paula Barker (Emmerdale)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Paula Barker
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Official portrait of Paula Barker MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| office = Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Wavertree
| term_start = 12 December 2019
| term_end =
| predecessor = Luciana Berger
| majority = 16,304 (41.0%)
{{collapsed infobox section begin
| last = yes
| titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
| subterm = 2023
| suboffice = Devolution and English Regions
| subterm1 = 2022–2023
| suboffice1 = Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
{{collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|05|09}}
| birth_place = Liverpool, England
| party = Labour
| website = {{Official website|www.paulabarker.co.uk}}
}}
Paula Barker (born 9 May 1972){{Cite book|last=Brunskill|first=Ian|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1129682574|title=The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election|date=19 March 2020|isbn=978-0-00-839258-1|pages=260|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |oclc=1129682574}} is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Wavertree since 2019. She served as the Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions from September 2023 to November 2023.
Before her election, Barker worked as a local government officer in the North West. She was also the Unison North West Regional Convenor, as well as the leader of her local government branch in Halton, Cheshire.
Early life and education
Paula Barker was born on 9 May 1972 at Sefton General Hospital in Wavertree, Liverpool.{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Paula |date=2020-03-10 |title="My socialism is aspirational" – Paula Barker's full maiden speech |url=https://labourlist.org/2020/03/my-socialism-is-aspirational-paula-barkers-full-maiden-speech/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=LabourList |language=en-GB}} Her father died two weeks before her second birthday, leaving her mother to raise her as a single parent. Barker attended Holly Lodge Girls' High School in West Derby, Liverpool.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/barker-paula/|title=Paula Barker MP - Who is she?|website=Politics.co.uk}}
Early career
{{BLP sources|date=November 2024|reason=This section contains a lot of unsourced information}}
Barker was employed in local government for almost 30 years.{{Cn|date=November 2024}} She moved from Liverpool City Council for a promotion at neighbouring Knowsley Council to work in Customer Services, where she spent around four years. In 2001, she joined Halton Borough Council, where she progressively became more active in her trade union, UNISON.{{Cn|date=November 2024}} She held the position of Halton Branch Secretary for UNISON and in May 2015 became its North West Regional Convenor, taking over from Angela Rayner.{{Cite web |last=Clay |first=Oliver |date=2015-08-07 |title=Unison branch secretary for Halton takes centre stage with Labour contender as Corbynmania lands in North West |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/unison-branch-secretary-halton-takes-9809140 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}}
Parliamentary career
At the 2019 general election, Barker was elected to Parliament as MP for Liverpool Wavertree with 72.2% of the vote and a majority of 27,085.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000795|title=Liverpool Wavertree parliamentary constituency – Election 2019|work=BBC.com|access-date=13 December 2019}}{{cite web |title=Statement of persons nominated |url=https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1358593/liverpool-wavertree-sopn.docx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116183931/https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1358593/liverpool-wavertree-sopn.docx |archive-date=16 November 2019 |access-date=16 November 2019}} Barker made her maiden speech on 4 February 2020, becoming one of the first of the new MPs from the 2019 general election to do so. In it, she outlined the rich diversity of the Liverpool Wavertree constituency, whilst also pointing out to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government that it is local representatives who know what is best for their constituencies.{{Cite web|title=Rating and Valuation - Hansard|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-04/debates/FC0BCEF8-906A-4FAD-8A91-1F496BD43F4C/RatingAndValuation?highlight=paula%20barker#contribution-7FDDB0EA-5B72-44A8-AF9B-D21FF2FF2B31|access-date=2020-06-11|website=hansard.parliament.uk}}
Since that maiden speech, Barker has called upon the Government to enact meaningful reform of the social care market.{{Cite web|title=Social Care - Hansard|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-25/debates/0C0B54E5-848E-4FB8-9824-0C9CB2557D5E/SocialCare?highlight=paula%20barker#contribution-EBDDF506-F38C-45E3-B036-28803FA5B085|access-date=2020-06-11|website=hansard.parliament.uk}} She also sponsored the Private Members Bill put forward by Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, on proposed changes to the law regarding school uniforms.
Barker served as a member of the Justice Select Committee{{cite web |title=Parliament.uk |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/102/justice-committee/membership/former/?page=4 |website=UK Parliament |access-date=25 February 2022}} between May 2020 and July 2021 and is currently a Member of Home Affairs Select Committee and became PPS to Shadow Defence Minister, John Healey in March 2022.{{cite web |title=Government Source |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/membership/ |website=UK Parliament Library |publisher=UK Government |access-date=25 February 2022}}
In February 2022, Barker was re-selected as the Labour candidate for the new Liverpool Wavertree constituency to stand at the 2024 general election.{{cite tweet |number=1491804161368674304 |user=PaulaBarkerMP |title=🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT🚨 I am truly humbled at this news. I will continue to do my best in fighting for our people across every community of my constituency and hopefully play my part in delivering a Labour Government at the next General Election. |author=Paula Barker |date=February 10, 2022}}
She was appointed Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping on 28 October 2022. In the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions.{{Cite web |title=Meet our Shadow Cabinet |url=https://labour.org.uk/people/shadow-cabinet/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=The Labour Party |language=en}}
She is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.{{cite web | title=Parliamentary Supporters | website=LFPME | date=1970-01-01 | url=https://www.lfpme.co.uk/parliamentary-supporters | access-date=2024-06-05}} On 15 November 2023, she resigned from the frontbench to vote for a SNP motion demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.{{Cite news |date=2023-11-15 |title=Labour frontbenchers quit to back Gaza ceasefire motion |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-67432393 |access-date=2023-11-15}}
In May 2024, PoliticsHome reported that Barker had left the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-29 |title=The Labour left under Keir Starmer: 'They're not just sealing the tomb but incinerating it' |url=https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/labour-left-keir-starmer-theyre-sealing-tomb-incinerating-it |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Politics Home |language=en}}
Barker was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Liverpool Wavertree at the 2024 general election with a decreased vote share of 58% and a decreased majority of 16,304.{{cite web |date=5 July 2024 |title=Liverpool Wavertree results |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001340 |access-date=7 July 2024 |publisher=BBC}}
In October 2024 she was appointed to the Parliamentary Committee on Standards {{cite web | url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/290/committee-on-standards/membership/ | title=Committee on Standards - Membership - Committees - UK Parliament }} as well as the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges {{cite web | url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/289/committee-of-privileges/membership/ | title=Committee of Privileges - Membership - Committees - UK Parliament }} and serves as Vice Chair of both. She also remains Co-Chair of the APPG for ending homelessness and rough sleeping.{{cite web | url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/241120/homelessness.htm | title=House of Commons - Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 20 November 2024: Homelessness }}
Barker is a co-sponsor of Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.{{cite web |title=Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0012/240012.pdf |website=UK Parliament |access-date=26 November 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{UK MP links |parliament=paula-barker/4828 |publicwhip=Paula_Barker |theywork=paula_barker}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Luciana Berger}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree|years=2019–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}{{Labour Party UK MPs}}{{Socialist Campaign Group}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Paula}}
Category:Politicians from Liverpool
Category:21st-century British women politicians
Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies
Category:21st-century English women
Category:21st-century English politicians
Category:Women councillors in England