Louise Haigh
Louise Margaret Haigh MP (born 22 July 1987) is a British Labour politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Heeley at the May 2015 general election, and was the youngest Labour member of that parliament.[1]
Louise Haigh MP |
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Shadow Minister of State for Policing | |
Assumed office 3 July 2017 |
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Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
Preceded by | Lyn Brown |
Shadow Minister for Digital Economy | |
In office 10 October 2016 – 3 July 2017 |
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Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
Preceded by | Chi Onwurah |
Succeeded by | Liam Byrne |
Shadow Minister for Civil Service and Digital Reform | |
In office 18 September 2015 – 10 October 2016 |
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Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Steve Reed |
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley |
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Assumed office 7 May 2015 |
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Preceded by | Meg Munn |
Majority | 13,828 (31.3%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Louise Margaret Haigh 22 July 1987 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
Website | Official website |
Contents
Early lifeEdit
Haigh grew up on Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, and now lives in Norfolk Park, Sheffield.[2] She was educated at Sheffield High School and studied politics at the University of Nottingham.[3] Her grandfather and uncle were trade union officials.[4]
After graduating, Haigh worked for the local council youth service between 2006 and 2008. She then began working in Parliament, where she was the co-ordinator of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Corporate Responsibility.[4] During this time, she was also a Unite shop steward and volunteered as a Special Constable.[5]
From 2012, Haigh worked for Aviva as Public Policy Manager, responsible for corporate governance and responsible investment policy.[5][6][7]
Political careerEdit
Haigh was selected to stand for the Labour in Sheffield Heeley in May 2014,[8] and was elected to Parliament at the May 2015 general election.
Haigh was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015.[9]
In September 2015, Haigh was appointed Shadow Minister for Civil Service and Digital Reform.[10][11] The role, newly expanded under Jeremy Corbyn,[12] covers the Government's digital strategy, the Freedom of Information Act, data security and privacy.[13] In this role, Haigh was critical of a 2016 reshuffle of Permanent Secretaries which saw two fewer women as departmental heads.[14] She opposed the closure of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills office in Sheffield City Centre, saying the decision demonstrated "contempt" for the city.[15]
On 10 October 2016, she was made Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy.[16] Haigh served in this role during the passage of the Digital Economy Act (2017) and introduced a number of amendments, including an obligation for television broadcasters to include subtitles and closed captioning in on-demand content online which was adopted by a subsequent Government amendment.[17] She has repeatedly raised concerns about child protection online, including calling for social media companies to recognise “that alongside their new-found power, they have responsibilities” in dealing with harmful and illegal content.[18]
She also called for compulsory online education alongside sex and relationships education in schools, citing an 800% increase in children contacting the NSPCC about online abuse.[19]
On 3 July 2017, she was made Shadow Policing Minister.[20] Haigh has called for greater protection for police officers involved in vehicle pursuits, saying the current rules are "hampering the ability of the police to apprehend very serious offenders".[21]
Haigh was declared the "most hard-working" new MP in February 2016 after a study of the activity of MPs elected in 2015.[22][23][24]
Haigh campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[25] In the 2016 Labour leadership election, Haigh supported Owen Smith.[26]
Haigh was instrumental in revealing that hundreds of women had their tax credits stopped in error by US company Concentrix.[27] The revelation led to an announcement that their HMRC contract would not be renewed.[28] Panic alarms have been installed in Haigh's office and home by South Yorkshire Police after she received death threats for calling for a debate on the banning of Britain First, the far-right group. South Yorkshire Police have provided her with uniformed and undercover protection as she attends to her constituency activities.[29]
In November 2016 Haigh introduced a Private Members’ Bill calling for statutory leave from work for living organ donors, after a constituent complained of being given three days’ unpaid holiday after donating bone marrow.[30]
Haigh is a member of a number of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, including the APPGs on Corporate Governance, Refugees, Colombia and Looked After Children. In July 2017 she was elected Vice Chair of the APPG on State Pension Inequality.[31]
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "Sheffield Heeley Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015. BBC News. 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "About Louise". 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Beardmore, Ellen (13 August 2014). "Sheffield Heeley candidate could be youngest MP". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Louise Haigh". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Profiles: Louise Haigh". 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Louise Haigh". Labour Party. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ "Towards an agreement on corporate sustainability reporting" (PDF). Aviva Investors. 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ Beardmore, Ellen (12 May 2014). "'Time is right' for Sheffield MP to stand down". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election". The New Statesman. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Labour's FOI Review". Labour Party. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Marrs, Colin (21 September 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn appoints MP Louise Haigh to Labour digital brief". Civil Service World. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Say, Mark (21 September 2015). "Louise Haigh takes Labour digital role". UK Authority.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Clarke, Lauren (18 September 2015). "Sheffield MP Louise Haigh joins Shadow Cabinet". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Louise Haigh interview: the shadow Cabinet Office minister on Jeremy Corbyn, Whitehall diversity – and why the Tories have "always understood" civil service reform | Civil Service World". www.civilserviceworld.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "BIS Sheffield closure confirmed – full details and reaction from staff, unions and MPs | Civil Service World". www.civilserviceworld.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ Haigh, Louise (10 October 2016). "Louise appointed Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy - Louise Haigh, Labour Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley". Louisehaigh.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Digital Economy Bill will require on-demand programmes to include subtitles". www.cable.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ Haigh, Louise. "It is time to make the internet giants meet their responsibility". Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "Why Our 'Smartphone Generation' Deserve Statutory Online Education". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ Haigh, Louise (3 July 2017). "Louise appointed Labour's Shadow Policing Minister". Louisehaigh.org.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Haigh, Louise (2017-08-04). "How can the police stop criminals on mopeds if they can't pursue them?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ Leftly, Mark (20 February 2016). "Tory MP Royston Smith is least active among Parliament's new members". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "'Least active MP' Royston Smith defends record". BBC News. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Proctor, Kate (25 February 2016). "Louise Haigh most hard-working of all new MPs". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ Haigh, Louise (23 June 2016). "Vote Remain today: Sheffield is better off in the EU - Louise Haigh, Labour Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley". Louisehaigh.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Jeremy Corbyn has served Labour well. But Owen Smith is the leader we need". The Guardian. 21 July 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "HMRC to axe tax credit checking firm Concentrix". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Byrne, Paul (13 September 2016). "Concentrix to be stripped of HMRC contract over tax credits blunders". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Pidd, Helen; Perraudin, Frances (15 December 2016). "Female MP received death threats for calling for ban on Britain First". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ "Organ Donors (Leave) - Hansard Online". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "Vice Chair of State Pension Inequality APPG". www.louisehaigh.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louise Haigh. |
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 2010–present
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Meg Munn |
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley 2015–present |
Incumbent |