Margaret Greenwood

Margaret Greenwood
Official portrait, 2019
Shadow Minister for Schools
In office
9 April 2020 – 15 October 2020
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byMike Kane
Succeeded byWes Streeting
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office
12 March 2018[a] – 6 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byDebbie Abrahams
Succeeded byJonathan Reynolds
Shadow Minister for Employment
In office
9 October 2016 – 8 May 2018
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byNick Thomas-Symonds
Succeeded byMike Amesbury
Member of Parliament
for Wirral West
In office
7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byEsther McVey
Succeeded byMatthew Patrick
Personal details
Born (1959-03-14) 14 March 1959 (age 65)
Political partyLabour
WebsiteOfficial website

Margaret Greenwood (born 14 March 1959) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral West from 2015 to 2024. She is a member of the Labour Party.[1]

Biography

A former teacher and community activist,[2] Greenwood later worked as a web consultant.[3] She is a founder member of Defend our NHS.[3]

In 2013, she was selected to contest the constituency of Wirral West in the 2015 general election.[3] In a high-profile campaign, Greenwood narrowly unseated the Conservative cabinet minister Esther McVey.

In March 2018, Greenwood began acting as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after Debbie Abrahams temporarily stepped aside.[4] She was appointed as a permanent replacement for the Shadow DWP Secretary in May 2018. Until November 2018, Greenwood was shadowing Esther McVey, who had returned to Parliament at the 2017 general election.[citation needed]

In November 2018, Greenwood expressed concern over the effects of poverty and austerity, saying: "The government should listen to the people being pushed into poverty by its policies. Universal credit is failing miserably, leaving families in debt, [in] rent arrears and at risk of becoming homeless. Three million children are growing up in poverty despite living in a working household."[5] Greenwood also said in 2018: "There is something seriously wrong when the number of people in work in poverty is increasing faster than employment."[6]

On 6 April 2020, upon the election of Keir Starmer as Leader of the Labour Party, Greenwood was replaced as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Jonathan Reynolds,[7] becoming Shadow Minister for Schools.[8] She resigned as Shadow Minister for Schools on 15 October 2020 to vote against the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, which would authorise some undercover police officers and government officials to commit criminal offences, as Labour had whipped MPs to abstain.[9]

On 23 May 2023, Greenwood issued a statement saying that she did not intend to stand for reelection in the 2024 general election.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ Acting from 12 March to 8 May 2018.

References

  1. ^ "Wirral West parliamentary constituency - Election 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. ^ Helen Carter (8 May 2015). "Conservative Esther McVey loses her Wirral seat by just over 400 votes". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Liam Murphy (27 May 2013). "Labour choose Margaret Greenwood to take on Esther McVey in Wirral West". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. ^ Walker, Peter (11 March 2018). "Labour's Debbie Abrahams investigated by party over 'workplace issue'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. ^ Booth, Robert; Butler, Patrick (16 November 2018). "UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ^ Partington, Richard (4 December 2018). "Four million British workers live in poverty, charity says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Keir Starmer appoints Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  8. ^ Whittaker, Freddie (9 April 2020). "Margaret Greenwood appointed shadow schools minister". Schools Week. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  9. ^ Whittaker, Freddie (15 October 2020). "Shadow schools minister Margaret Greenwood resigns". Schools Week. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Margaret Greenwood says she will not stand at next General Election". Birkenhead News. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Margaret Greenwood.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Wirral West
2015–2024 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
2018–2020 		Succeeded by