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Paula Barker

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Not to be confused with Paula Barker (Emmerdale).

Paula Barker
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Wavertree
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byLuciana Berger
Majority16,304 (41.0%)
2023Devolution and English Regions
2022–2023Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
Personal details
Born (1972-05-09) 9 May 1972 (age 52)
Liverpool, England
Political partyLabour
WebsiteOfficial website

Paula Barker (born 9 May 1972)[1] 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 was the Unison North West Regional Convenor, as well as the leader of her local government branch in Halton, Cheshire.

Early life and education

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Paula Barker was born on 9 May 1972 at Sefton General Hospital in Wavertree, Liverpool.[2] Her father was diagnosed with cancer and 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.[3]

Early career

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Barker was employed in local government for almost 30 years. 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.[4][5] She held a variety of roles in her local branch, before becoming Branch Secretary and then for the last five years prior to her election to Parliament, she was the North West Regional Convenor for UNISON, the most senior lay official for the union. In this role, she constantly championed workers rights for the 200,000 plus members she represented.[6][7]

Parliamentary career

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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.[8][9] 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.[10]

Since that maiden speech, Barker has called upon the Government to enact meaningful reform of the social care market.[11] 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[12] 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.[13]

In February 2022, Barker was re-selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool Wavertree at the 2024 general election.[14] With a 14% lower turnout, she was re-elected with a decreased vote share and majority of 16,304.[15]

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.[16]

She is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.[17] On 15 November 2023, she resigned from the frontbench to vote for a SNP motion demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.[18]

In May 2024, PoliticsHome reported that Barker had left the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.[19]

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.[20]

References

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  1. ^ 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. 260. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  2. ^ "PAULA BARKER". Liverpool Echo. 5 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Paula Barker MP - Who is she?". Politics.co.uk.
  4. ^ Barker, Paula (10 March 2020). ""My socialism is aspirational" – Paula Barker's full maiden speech". LabourList.
  5. ^ "The core ideals of trade unionism endure from one generation to the next". Morning Star. 2 June 2018.
  6. ^ "A blog from our Regional Convenor, Paula Barker". Unison North West.
  7. ^ "The Peterloo protesters had liberated their own minds from apathy and fear". Morning Star. 16 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Liverpool Wavertree parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Statement of persons nominated". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Rating and Valuation - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Social Care - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Parliament.uk". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Government Source". UK Parliament Library. UK Government. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  14. ^ Paula Barker [@PaulaBarkerMP] (10 February 2022). "🚨 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" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Liverpool Wavertree results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Parliamentary Supporters". LFPME. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Labour frontbenchers quit to back Gaza ceasefire motion". BBC News. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  19. ^ "The Labour left under Keir Starmer: 'They're not just sealing the tomb but incinerating it'". Politics Home. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Liverpool Wavertree results". BBC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paula Barker.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree
2019–present 		Incumbent
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