Rachel Hopkins

{{short description|British Labour politician, MP for Luton South}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Rachel Hopkins

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image = Official portrait of Rachel Hopkins MP crop 2, 2024.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| office = Member of Parliament
for Luton South and South Bedfordshire
{{nobold|Luton South (2019–2024)}}

| termstart = 12 December 2019

| termend =

| predecessor = Gavin Shuker

| majority = 6,858 (17.9%)

{{collapsed infobox section begin

| last = yes

| Shadow portfolios

| titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| embed = yes

| subterm = 2022–2023

| suboffice = Veterans

| subterm1 = 2021–2022

| suboffice1 = Cabinet Office

{{collapsed infobox section end}}}}

| office1 = Member of Luton Council

| 1blankname1 = Ward

| 1namedata1 = Barnfield (2011–2019)
High Town (2019–2021)

| termstart1 = 5 May 2011

| termend1 = March 2021

| successor1 = Umme Ali

| party = Labour Party

| birth_name = Rachel Louise Hopkins

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|03|30}}

| birth_place = Luton, Bedfordshire, England

| father = Kelvin Hopkins

| relatives = Harold Hopkins (grandfather)

| website = {{URL|rachelhopkins.org}}

}}

Rachel Louise Hopkins (born 30 March 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=265|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |oclc=1129682574}} is a British Labour politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, formerly Luton South, since 2019.{{cite news |title=Luton South Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000801 |website=BBC |accessdate=13 December 2019}}

Hopkins was a Member of Luton Borough Council from 2011 to 2021, on which she served as Executive Member for Public Health.{{cite journal|url=https://labourlist.org/2019/11/local-councillor-rachel-hopkins-selected-in-luton-south/|title=Local councillor Rachel Hopkins selected in Luton South|journal=Labour List|first=Elliott|last=Chappell|date=2 November 2019|accessdate=21 December 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://democracy.luton.gov.uk/cmis5public/Councillors/tabid/63/ctl/ViewCMIS_Person/mid/383/id/242/ScreenMode/Alphabetical/Default.aspx|title=CMIS > Councillors|website=democracy.luton.gov.uk|accessdate=23 December 2019}} She served as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office from 2021 to 2023.

Early life and career

Rachel Hopkins was born on 30 March 1972 in Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Luton, and raised in Biscot. Her father, Kelvin, served as Labour MP for Luton North from 1997 to 2019. Her grandfather, Harold, was a physicist twice nominated for a Nobel Prize. She attended Denbigh High School and then Luton Sixth Form College, before going on to study at the University of Leicester. Her first full-time job was at TSB Bank. She later studied part-time for a master's degree from the University of Bedfordshire.{{cite web|url=https://labourluton.org.uk/RachelHopkins/|title=Rachel Hopkins for Luton South|website=Labour Luton|accessdate=21 December 2019}}

Hopkins previously worked at the Electoral Commission and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.{{cite news |work=Politics Home |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/house/house-magazine/108577/class-2019-meet-new-mps |title=Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs |date=16 December 2019 |accessdate=18 December 2019}} She has been a governor for Luton Sixth Form College since 2014.

Hopkins served on Luton Borough Council from May 2011 until her resignation in March 2021,{{cite web|title=CMIS > Councillors|url=https://democracy.luton.gov.uk/cmis5public/Councillors/tabid/63/ctl/ViewCMIS_Person/mid/383/id/242/Default.aspx?dnn_ctr383_ViewCMIS_Person_grdRadCommitteesPastChangePage=6_5|access-date=24 January 2022|website=democracy.luton.gov.uk}} and was Executive Member for Public Health on the council.

Parliamentary career

On Friday 1 November 2019, she was selected as the Labour candidate for Luton South. She was selected by a panel of four, rather than by the local membership.{{cite web|url=https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/politics/rachel-hopkins-selected-by-labour-to-fight-for-luton-south-in-general-election-1-9128485|title=Rachel Hopkins selected by Labour to fight for Luton South in general election|website=www.lutontoday.co.uk|accessdate=23 December 2019}} At the 2019 general election, Hopkins was elected to Parliament as MP for Luton South with 51.8% of the vote and a majority of 8,756.{{cite web |date=14 November 2019 |title=Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll |url=https://www.luton.gov.uk/Council_government_and_democracy/Lists/LutonDocuments/PDF/Election%202019/Statement-of-Person-Nominated-and-Notice-of-Poll-Luton-South.pdf |access-date=15 November 2019 |publisher=Luton Borough Council}}

Hopkins is considered to be on the left of the Labour Party, and joined the Socialist Campaign Group upon her election to Parliament. In May 2024, PoliticsHome reported that she had left the Campaign Group.{{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}}

She voted for Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, making her one of the few known Labour MPs to have done so.{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2019/11/local-councillor-rachel-hopkins-selected-in-luton-south/|title=Local councillor Rachel Hopkins selected in Luton South|first=Elliot|last=Chappell|date=2 November 2019|website=LabourList}}

Hopkins was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, Marsha de Cordova, in May 2020.{{cite web|last=Chappell|first=Elliot|title=Full list: Labour's new parliamentary private secretaries|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/05/full-list-labours-new-parliamentary-private-secretaries/|access-date=24 January 2022|website=LabourList|date=14 May 2020 }} Hopkins resigned from the position to vote against the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, rebelling against the Labour whip.{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/10/35-labour-mps-break-whip-to-oppose-spycops-bill-as-seven-frontbenchers-quit/|title=34 Labour MPs break whip to oppose 'spycops' bill as seven frontbenchers quit|first=Sienna|last=Rodgers|date=15 October 2020|website=LabourList}} She became a PPS once again in May 2021, this time to Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey.{{cite web|last=Healey|first=John|date=17 May 2021|title=Really pleased to confirm @rach_hopkins has joined our shadow defence team as my PPS|url=https://twitter.com/JohnHealey_MP/status/1394364118451343370?s=20|website=Twitter}}

Hopkins was appointed as a Shadow Cabinet Office Minister in the December 2021 opposition front bench reshuffle. She was appointed Shadow Minister for Veterans and Defence people in July 2022.

In November 2023, she resigned from the frontbench to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.{{Cite web |title=Wave of Labour frontbenchers resign to back calls for ceasefire in Gaza |url=https://news.sky.com/story/two-labour-frontbenchers-resign-to-back-calls-for-ceasefire-in-gaza-13009054 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Sky News |language=en}}

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Hopkins' constituency of Luton South was abolished, and replaced with Luton South and South Bedfordshire. At the 2024 general election, Hopkins was elected to Parliament as MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire with 35.4% of the vote and a majority of 6,858.{{Cite news |title=Luton South and South Bedfordshire - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001346 |access-date=2024-08-20 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Hopkins is a co-sponsor of Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on assisted suicide.{{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}}

Personal life

She currently lives in High Town, Luton with her partner, Iain Sinclair. She was previously married but now divorced.

A humanist, she was elected Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://humanists.uk/2022/05/25/new-officers-elected-by-all-party-parliamentary-humanist-group/|title=New officers elected by All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group|work=Humanists UK|date=25 May 2022|accessdate=5 July 2022}}