Seema Louise Ghiassi Kennedy {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} ({{née}} Ghiassi, {{langx|fa|سیما غیاثی}};{{citation|url=https://kayhan.london/fa/1394/04/03/%DA%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%DA%AF%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5%DB%8C-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7-%DA%A9%D9%90%D9%86%D9%90|title=اختصاصی کیهان لندن؛ مصاحبه با سیما غیاثی کندی|work=Kayhan London|date= 5 September 2016 }} born 6 October 1974) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office in 2019. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ribble in Lancashire from 2015 to 2019, and also served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2017 to 2019. She was the first female MP of Iranian heritage to take a seat in the House of Commons.

Ghiassi attended Westholme School, and studied French and Persian at Pembroke College, Cambridge. She qualified as a commercial property solicitor, and worked for Slaughter and May, and Bevan Brittan, before working for her family's commercial property business Tustin Developments Ltd.

Early life and legal career

Seema Louise Ghiassi was born on 6 October 1974 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.{{cite book|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-283953|title=Kennedy, Seema Louise Ghiassi|publisher=A & C Black|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U283953|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4|accessdate=1 November 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/17995222.blackburn-born-tory-mp-seema-standing/|title=Blackburn-born Tory MP Seema standing down|work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=26 October 2019|accessdate=1 November 2019|last=Jacobs|first=Bill}} Her father is an Iranian, and her mother is Irish. Six weeks after her birth, the family moved to Iran. They left the country after the 1979 Iranian Revolution during which her family home and spinning mill business were seized by the new government.{{cite news|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/features_lancashiretelegraph/11339448.fleeing-oppression-taught-me-so-much/|work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=14 July 2014|accessdate=1 November 2019|last=Cooke|first=Diane|title=Fleeing oppression taught me so much}} They resettled in Blackburn, where Ghiassi attended the private Westholme School. She was head girl at the school.{{cite web|url=https://www.westholmeschool.com/seema-s-success/|title=Seema's Success|publisher=Westholme School|date=8 May 2015|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

She studied French and Persian at Pembroke College, Cambridge. During her course, she studied Persian in Paris for a year under the tutelage of Yann Richard. After graduating with a first, Ghiassi completed a law conversion course at the College of Law (now University of Law).{{cite web|url=https://kayhanlife.com/people/profile-seema-ghiassi-kennedy/|publisher=Kayhan Life|date=5 September 2016|accessdate=1 November 2019|title=Making History: Seema Ghiassi Kennedy, Britain's First MP of Iranian Descent}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/seema-kennedy|title=Seema Kennedy|publisher=gov.uk|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

Ghiassi began her legal career at city law firm Slaughter and May, where she trained, and qualified as a commercial property solicitor. She then worked for Bevan Brittan.{{cite news|url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/policy-and-regulation/pms-aide-appointed-as-public-health-minister/7024832.article|work=Health Service Journal|title=PM's aide appointed as public health minister|last=Reid|first=Jenna|date=5 April 2019|accessdate=1 November 2019}} After having children, she decided to become part-time and left Bevan Brittan to work as a director for her family's commercial property business Tustin Developments Ltd in Lancashire.{{cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01894292/officers|title=Officers|publisher=Companies House|accessdate=1 November 2019}}{{cite book|author=Tim Carr|title=The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015: Profiles of the New MPs and Analysis of the 2015 General Election Results|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVWqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT288|date=18 May 2015|publisher=Biteback Publishing|isbn=978-1-84954-924-0|page=288}}

Parliamentary career

Kennedy stood as the Conservative Party's candidate in Ashton-under-Lyne at the 2010 general election. She came second in the election to the incumbent Labour MP David Heyes. The constituency is historically a safe Labour seat, having elected an MP from the party since 1935.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/a08.stm|title=Ashton-under-Lyne|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=1 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2014/09/angela-rayner-selected-as-ppc-for-ashton-under-lyne/|title=Angela Rayner selected as PPC for Ashton-under-Lyne|date=8 September 2014 |publisher=Labour List|accessdate=1 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-pitch/487/david-heyes|work=Oldham Chronicle|title=David Heyes|accessdate=1 November 2019}} Kennedy unsuccessfully contested the 2013 Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative primary, and was on the longlist for selection in the Mid Worcestershire constituency.{{cite news|url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/politics/conservatives-throw-down-gauntlet-for-hampstead-and-kilburn-seat-1-1741294|work=Ham & High|date=13 December 2012|accessdate=1 November 2019|title=Conservatives throw down gauntlet for Hampstead and Kilburn seat}}{{cite web|url=https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2013/11/introducing-the-13-candidates-on-the-longlist-for-mid-worcestershire.html|title=Introducing the 13 candidates on the longlist for Mid Worcestershire|last=Wallace|first=Mark|publisher=Conservative Home|date=15 November 2013|accessdate=1 November 2019}} In 2014, Kennedy was elected as councillor for the Marshalwick South ward of St Albans City and District Council.{{cite web|url=https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/electionresults/districtresults/electionresults2014.aspx|title=22nd May 2014 District Council Election Results|publisher=St Albans City and District Council|accessdate=1 November 2019}} She had previously been the chairwoman of the party in St. Albans but resigned in 2009 after a failed attempt to deselect local MP Anne Main over her parliamentary expenses.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/conservative-mps-expenses/6024822/MPs-expenses-Anne-Main-survives-deselection-meeting.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=MPs expenses: Anne Main survives deselection meeting|last=Irvine|first=Chris|date=14 August 2009|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

She was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ribble in the 2015 general election. She is the first MP of Iranian heritage. She was re-elected in the 2017 general election.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000943|title=South Ribble|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

She supported the United Kingdom (UK) remaining within the European Union (EU) in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum. Kennedy voted for then Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019. In the indicative votes on 27 March, she voted against a referendum on any withdrawal agreement, and against a no-deal Brexit.{{cite news|url=https://ig.ft.com/brexit-exit-deal-vote/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902092554/https://ig.ft.com/brexit-exit-deal-vote/|archivedate=2 September 2019|date=29 March 2019|title=How MPs voted on May's withdrawal deal defeat|work=Financial Times}}

Following Theresa May's reshuffle upon becoming Prime Minister in July 2016, Kennedy was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Nick Gibb, the Minister of State for Schools.{{cite web|url=https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2016/09/the-full-pps-list-one-third-leavers-one-third-women-and-ninety-per-cent-may-supporters.html|title=The full PPS list. One third Leavers. One third women. And ninety per cent May supporters.|publisher=Conservative Home|date=22 September 2016|accessdate=1 November 2019|last=Wallace|first=Mark}}

Kennedy was a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council.{{cite web|url=https://www.pharmacymagazine.co.uk/seema-kennedy-appointed-new-pharmacy-minister|publisher=Pharmacy Magazine|date=5 April 2019|accessdate=1 November 2019|title=Seema Kennedy appointed new pharmacy minister}}

Following the 2017 general election, Kennedy was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Prime Minister Theresa May. She was the first female PPS to a Conservative prime minister. She served alongside George Hollingbery.

In April 2019, Kennedy was appointed to the position of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care. In July 2019, she moved to the Home Office and succeeded Caroline Nokes as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Immigration.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/seema-kennedy|publisher=gov.uk|title=Seema Kennedy MP|accessdate=1 November 2019}} Kennedy was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Theresa May's resignation honours in September.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/09/full-list-theresa-mays-resignation-honours/|work=The Spectator|title=Full list: Theresa May's resignation honours|date=10 September 2019|accessdate=1 November 2019}} She announced on 25 October that she would be standing down as MP at the next general election.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-50170708|title=South Ribble MP Seema Kennedy standing down at next election|publisher=BBC News|date=25 October 2019|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

On 18 November 2020, she was appointed as a non-executive director of Ofwat.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/non-executive-director-appointments-to-ofwat|title=Non-Executive Director appointments to Ofwat|publisher=UK Parliament|date=18 November 2020|accessdate=26 May 2021}} As of 2022, Kennedy works as a senior adviser for the strategic advisory firm Global Counsel.{{cite web|url=https://www.global-counsel.com/about-us/team/seema-kennedy|title=Seema Kennedy|publisher=Global Counsel|accessdate=9 June 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/politico-london-influence/lobbyists-in-need-money-money-money-live-and-let-live/|publisher=Politico|date=9 June 2022|accessdate=9 June 2022|title=London Influence: Lobbyists in need — Money, money, money — Live and let live|last1=Honeycombe-Foster|first1=Matt|last2=Dickson|first2=Annabelle}} The company is chaired and was co-founded by former Labour Party politician Peter Mandelson.{{cite web|url=https://www.global-counsel.com/about-us/team/peter-mandelson|publisher=Global Counsel|accessdate=9 June 2022|title=Peter Mandelson}}

The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness was launched in January 2017. Kennedy and Labour MP Rachel Reeves were the co-chairwomen of the commission. She had initially began work on the commission with Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. After Cox's murder, Reeves joined the project to continue her work.{{cite web|date=31 January 2017|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38808665|publisher=BBC News|title=MPs launch Jo Cox Commission to tackle loneliness|accessdate=30 July 2017}} In January 2018, the first Minister for Loneliness was appointed in the UK as a result of Kennedy and Reeves' work with the Commission.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42708507|title=Minister for loneliness appointed to continue Jo Cox's work|publisher=BBC NEws|date=17 January 2018|accessdate=1 November 2019}}

Personal life

Kennedy is married to John Clark and has three sons from a previous marriage.{{cite web|url=https://www.southribbleconservatives.org.uk/seema-kennedy|publisher=South Ribble Conservatives|accessdate=9 June 2022|title=Seema Kennedy}}