Daisy Cooper

This article is about the politician. For the actress and writer, see Daisy May Cooper.

Daisy Cooper
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 September 2020
LeaderEd Davey
Preceded byEd Davey
Member of Parliament
for St Albans
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byAnne Main
Majority19,834 (38.4%)
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2020Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
2020Justice
2020–2021Education
2021–2024Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
2024–presentTreasury
Personal details
Born (1981-10-29) 29 October 1981 (age 43)[1]
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Alma materUniversity of Leeds[2]
University of Nottingham[3]
Websitedaisycooper.org.uk

Daisy Cooper (born 29 October 1981)[4] is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans since 2019. She has served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020, as well as the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson since 2024.[5]

Cooper was previously the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care from October 2021 to September 2024, spokesperson for Education from September 2020 to October 2021, and the spokesperson for Justice and for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from January 2020 to September 2020.

Early life and career

Daisy Cooper was born on 29 October 1981 in Bury St Edmunds.[6] She was educated at Halesworth Middle School, Bungay High School and then privately educated at Framlingham College in Suffolk,[7] before gaining a Bachelor of Laws honours degree from the University of Leeds and a Master of Laws degree in public international law from the University of Nottingham. She also has a foundation certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regent’s School of Psychotherapy & Psychology .[3]

Before becoming an MP, Cooper worked in Commonwealth affairs including at the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. She also worked for Voluntary Service Overseas,[2] for the Hacked Off campaign for victims of press abuse,[8] and for the cross-party group More United.[9] She also runs a local independent campaign group for rail users.[10]

Political career

She stood for president of the Liberal Democrats in 2014, coming second to Sal Brinton. During the campaign for the presidency, she declared her support for the group "Humanist and Secularist Liberal Democrats".[11]

Cooper stood in the 2015 Lewes District Council election held on the same day; she was elected to represent the Lewes Bridge ward. Cooper stepped down as a councillor in 2016.[12]

Parliamentary career

Cooper was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Suffolk Coastal at the 2010 general election, where she came second with 29.8% of the vote behind the Conservative candidate Thérèse Coffey.[13]

At the 2015 general election, Cooper stood in Mid Sussex, coming fourth with 11.5% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, the Labour candidate, and the UKIP candidate.[14]

Cooper stood in St Albans at the 2017 general election, coming second with 32.4% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Anne Main.[15]

Cooper speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, 7 February 2024

Cooper was elected to Parliament as MP for St Albans at the 2019 general election with 50.1% of the vote and a majority of 6,293.[16][17][18] The Guardian named Cooper as one of the ten new MPs from all political parties to "watch out for".[9]

In January 2020, it was announced Cooper had been appointed as the Liberal Democrats' justice, culture, media and sport spokesperson.[19] In June, she took part in George Floyd protests in Verulamium Park, St Albans, where she gave a speech about police brutality.[20]

In September 2020, Cooper was announced as the party's new deputy leader and education spokesperson.[21]

In May 2021, Cooper was a signatory to an open letter from Stylist magazine, alongside celebrities and other public figures, which called on the government to address what it described as an "epidemic of male violence" by funding an "ongoing, high-profile, expert-informed awareness campaign on men’s violence against women and girls".[22]

Cooper was re-elected as MP for St Albans at the 2024 general election with an increased vote share of 56.6% and an increased majority of 19,834.[23] During the election period, Cooper had participated in the televised leaders debates.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b Barbara Kasumu (31 July 2013). "One to watch: Why political campaigner Daisy Cooper is going places". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b "The role and future of the Commonwealth". United Kingdom Parliament. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  5. ^ "Lib Dems unveil new top team after election success". BBC News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Entry Information". FreeBMD. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Miss Daisy Cooper MP".
  8. ^ Burton, Madeleine (8 December 2016). "Hacked Off chief is fighting for Lib Dems in St Albans". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b Walker, Peter (16 December 2019). "The new parliament – what and who to watch out for". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  10. ^ Davies, Joe (13 December 2019). "Who is St Albans' new Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper?". hertfordshiremercury. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  11. ^ Humanist and Secularist Liberal Democrats. Party presidency - candidates' statements. Retrieved 28 April 2020
  12. ^ "Change of faces at Lewes Town Council". www.sussexexpress.co.uk. 7 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ^ "2017 Parliamentary Election Results". St Albans City and District Council. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  16. ^ "St Albans parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Lib Dems gain St Albans while David Gauke loses seat". 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  18. ^ Suslak, Anne (13 December 2019). "Liberal Democrats victorious in St Albans to unseat Conservatives in the 2019 General Election". Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Daisy Cooper". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  20. ^ "#BlackLivesMatter #StAlbans peaceful protest social distancing patrolled by volunteer wardens face coverings worn by most passionate speeches #BlackLivesMatter". Twitter. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  21. ^ Woodcock, Andrew (13 September 2020). "Liberal Democrats plan to woo 'soft conservatives' repulsed by 'thuggish' Johnson Tories". The Independent. Retrieved 13 September 2020. an interview to announce her election as deputy
  22. ^ ""We're calling on you to act now": read Stylist's open letter to Priti Patel about ending male violence against women and girls". Stylist. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  23. ^ "St Albans parliamentary constituency - Election 2024". BBC News.
  24. ^ "The key figures who took part in BBC election debate". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daisy Cooper.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for St Albans
2019–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
2020–present 		Incumbent