About Emily
Emily lives in Islington with her husband and three children, having moved here nearly 20 years ago. She was elected Member of Parliament for Islington South & Finsbury in the 2005 General Election, and was re-elected in 2010 with an increased majority of 3,569.
In 2009 she was made a ministerial aide in the Department of Energy & Climate Change and attended the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December that year with Joan Ruddock and Ed Miliband. After the 2010 election, Emily became a Shadow Minister in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and took a leading role in Ed Miliband’s successful leadership campaign.
In October 2010 she became a Shadow Health minister, shadowing Social Care Minister Paul Burstow, and holding the government to account over their changes to the NHS and social care.
She was promoted in Ed Miliband's first reshuffle in October 2011 and now attends Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Attorney General.
Emily is also campaigning against cuts from the current government that are too deep and too fast, as well as changes to benefits, housing legislation, and public services that will make Islington a much harder place for low-income families to live in.
In 2009, The Guardian wrote a feature on Emily giving an insight into her work. You can read it here
Emily was raised by her mother, a former Labour Councillor and Mayor, on a council estate outside Guildford. Motivated by her childhood experiences, Emily joined the Labour Party aged 17. On moving to London, she got involved with equality campaigns – joining anti-racist groups, and working with trade unions and parent groups for family-friendly employment practices and access to childcare. Before entering Parliament, Emily practised as a human rights barrister at the chambers of Mike Mansfield Q.C.
In 2003 she and her family joined the march against the war in Iraq.
In her first term in Parliament, Emily continued her commitment to justice and human rights –successfully helping to defeat Government proposals to increase the period that terror suspects could be detained without charge, first to 90 days and then to 42 days. Continuing her commitment to equality campaigns, Emily became chair of the All-Party Group on Maternity, led MPs in voting to defend women’s right to choose, and has been a strong advocate for LGBT rights – a role that was recognised by her nomination as Stonewall MP of the year.
As a matter of great importance to Islington people, Emily urged the last Government to invest more money in new homes for social rent. The last Government invested hundreds of millions of pounds in improving Islington’s social housing – but Emily argued that the situation of the 13,000 families on the council’s waiting list means more family-sized homes are needed. On housing, Emily also introduced a private members’ bill to make housing associations more locally accountable, with many of the bill’s principles being adopted by the Housing & Regeneration Act 2008.
Similarly on the environment, Emily sponsored the original Climate Change Bill and seconded successful amendments for tougher carbon reduction targets to the Government’s subsequent Climate Change Act 2008. Her work in Islington schools promoting marine conservation was recognized when she won Environment MP of the year in 2006. A keen cyclist, Emily used her position as vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling to encourage others to cycle, as well as lobbying for changes to lorry mirror regulations to make cycling safer. In 2009 she was made a ministerial aide in the Department of Energy & Climate Change and attended the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December that year with Joan Ruddock and Ed Miliband.
As a strong advocate for protecting and improving services in Islington, Emily saved Essex Road Post Office by lobbying the last Post Office Minister to get Royal Mail to reverse its decision to close it. She has also been working to make Islington safer – successfully pressing for CCTV on estates such as the Marquess, and organising local meetings with Safer Neighbourhood Teams for residents to discuss the community’s response to the problem of knife crime. Emily has supported and secured funding for many organisations based in Islington, including the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, the Women’s Resource Centre, and Solace Woman’s Aid.