Harriet Harman

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The Right Honourable  Harriet Harman MP  QC
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
Incumbent
Assumed office  28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Jack Straw
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Secretary of State for Equalities
Incumbent
Assumed office  26 July 2007
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	New Position
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office 11 June 2001 – 10 May 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ross Cranston
Succeeded by	Mike O'Brien
Secretary of State for Social Security
In office 3 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Preceded by	Peter Lilley
Succeeded by	Alastair Darling
Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham Peckham (1982-1997)
Incumbent
Assumed office  28 October 1982
Preceded by	Harry Lamborn
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	30 July 1950 (1950-07-30) (age 59) Marylebone, London, England
Nationality	Britain
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Jack Dromey
Alma mater	University of York
Occupation	Lawyer
Website	http://www.harrietharman.org

Harriet Ruth Harman QC MP (born 30 July 1950) is a British solicitor (professional legal adviser) and Labour politician. Since 24 June 2007, she has been the Deputy Leader and Party Chair of the Labour Party. On 28 June 2007 she was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal and Minister for Women and Equality, and later also Secretary of State for Equalities on 26 July 2007.^[1] On 12 October 2007 she became head of a new UK Government Department, the Government Equalities Office, made up of staff transferred from the already existing Women and Equality unit. She still however retains her title of Minister for Women, bringing her total number of jobs to five.

Harman has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham since 1997, having previously been MP for Peckham since 1982.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Member of Parliament 2.1 In government 2.2 Voting record 2.3 Minister of Justice 2.4 Bid for deputy leadership 2.5 Return to Cabinet 3 Controversies 3.1 Controversy over Iraq War apology 3.2 Speeding convictions 3.3 Campaign donation from David Abrahams 4 Personal life 4.1 Family connections 5 References 6 Publications 7 External links

[edit] Early life

She was born in London to the Harley Street physician John Bishop Harman FRCP (who was an expert witness in the trial of suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams^[2]) and his wife Anna, a solicitor, the only child of Group Captain Malcolm Spicer, RAF,^[3][4] son of James Spicer of Eltham, who was a member of the paper manufacturing family and a brother of the Liberal MP Sir Albert Spicer and also a brother of the surgeon and campaigner for women's rights, Louisa Martindale.^[5] Her parents both came from non conformist backgrounds — her grandfather Nathaniel Bishop Harman was a prominent Unitarian ^[6] and the Spicer family were well known congregationalists. Educated at the famous St Paul's Girls' School and the University of York, between 1978 and 1982 she was legal officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties and as such was found in contempt of court in the important civil liberties case Home Office v. Harman [1983] 1 A.C. 280, 308, before becoming MP for Peckham in a by-election in 1982.

Harman was later involved in a European Court of Human Rights case against MI5 after it was revealed by whistleblower Cathy Massiter in 1984 that personal files were held by MI5 on her and another leading member of the NCCL — Patricia Hewitt.^[7] They successfully argued that there had been an infringement of their rights because MI5 was not a legally constituted and democratically accountable organisation, this being the minimum standard in democracy.^[8] The success of the case was largely resultant in the subsequent implementation of the 1989 Security Services Act by Parliament.^[9]

[edit] Member of Parliament

In the by-election held on 28 October 1982 she was elected Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham with a majority of 3,931 votes. She became Labour's front-bench spokesperson for Social Services in 1984, and then Health in 1987. After the 1992 general election she was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet and became shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, then Shadow Secretary of State for Health. She was involved in a media controversy when she sent her eldest son to a grant maintained school, then her younger son to St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington. Labour policy opposed these forms of education, but she retained office with the support of the Labour leader, Tony Blair.

[edit] In government

After Labour's victory in the 1997 general election, she became Secretary of State for Social Security and was given the task of reforming the Welfare State. However, she made little progress and fell out with her junior minister, Frank Field. During this period Harman became regarded as an over-promoted "New Labour" apparatchik, and she was called "Harriet Harrperson" by her fellow Labour MP Austin Mitchell. Both Harman and Field were sacked in a reshuffle in 1998. Harman's decision to send one of her children to a selective school some distance from her home was also not popular with many in Labour party at the time.

She made a return to the front bench after the 2001 general election with her appointment to the office of Solicitor General, thus becoming the first female Solicitor General.

[edit] Voting record

Harman has supported the Labour government^[10], and voted with the party in all but a few instances. Like most Labour MPs she supported the Iraq war, although during the Deputy Leadership campaign, she claimed that she would not have voted for it had she been in full possession of the facts, specifically about the non-existence of weapons of mass destruction.^[11][12]

[edit] Minister of Justice

After the 2005 general election she became a Minister of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs with responsibilities including constitutional reform, legal aid and court processes. During this time she was made an honorary silk (Queen's Counsel), gaining the letters "QC" after her name.

On 16 March 2006, Harman relinquished her ministerial responsibilities for electoral administration and reform of the House of Lords. She stated that this was to avoid any potential conflict of interest after her husband, the Treasurer of the Labour Party, announced that he would be investigating a number of loans made to the Labour Party which had not been disclosed to party officers. She retained her other responsibilities.^[13]

The Department for Constitutional Affairs was reorgainised into the new Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007, where she became Minister of State. She officially relinquished the role when the government, led by Tony Blair, resigned on 27 June 2007.

[edit] Bid for deputy leadership

Harriet Harman announced her intention to stand for Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party when John Prescott stood down.^[14] On 27 November 2006 Patrick Wintour reported that she had commissioned an opinion poll which found that she would be more popular with the electorate than any of the other likely candidates. She used this point to argue that she should become the next Deputy Prime Minister of the UK in an interview with the BBC.^[15]

Harman did not have the support of any major unions, and had to borrow money to fund her campaign for deputy leadership, taking out a personal loan of £10,000^[16] and a £40,000 extension to her mortgage.^[17] As a result compared to other glossy leaflets sent out by her rivals Harman had to use pretty basic campaign tools. On 24 June 2007, Harriet Harman won the contest and became Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.^[18]

She received 50.43% of the vote in the final round of a closely-fought contest. Alan Johnson had led in all but the first of the previous rounds, but the members' votes after re-distribution in each of the 4 elimination rounds – particularly the votes re-allocated from Jon Cruddas according to second preference – led her to narrowly beating Johnson in the final round.

[edit] Return to Cabinet

Harman is known as a key Brownite and has been closely associated with him since the 1980s. She was appointed to sit in newly-appointed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's cabinet as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons (combining these post with the Deputy Leadership and Chairmanship of the Labour Party). She also holds the post of Secretary of State for Equalities as well as Minister for Women the result being that she has five roles. She attacked the Conservative Party at the Labour Party Conference 2007, referring to them as the nasty party and suggesting that there will be little competition at the next election.^[19]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Controversy over Iraq War apology

Harman has been accused of going back on a pledge to apologize for its policy on Iraq. During the deputy leadership campaign Harman had participated in a live debate on Newsnight with the other deputy leadership candidates. Jeremy Paxman asked the candidates whether, if knowing what they knew now, any of the candidates would have voted against the war^[20], Harman responded by saying that "if I'd have known if there weren't weapons of mass destruction I wouldn't have voted for the war. Clearly it was a mistake. It was made in good faith. But I think with a new leadership we have to acknowledge the bitterness and anger that there has been over Iraq and that we were wrong."

Later, when asked by Paxman if the Labour Party should say sorry for what happened, Jon Cruddas said that it should; Harman replied "Yep, I agree with that". When Cruddas further said that the Labour Party could "rebuild a sense of trust and a dialogue with the British people" by acknowledging its culpability in the situation in Iraq, Harman replied "and I agree with that". On June 25, her first day in the job, Harman appeared to backtrack on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme and asked for evidence to be provided of where she had stated that the party should apologise.

[edit] Speeding convictions

In 2003 Harman was fined £400 and banned from driving for seven days after being convicted of driving at 99mph on a motorway, 29mph above the speed limit.^[21]

On 7 April 2007, Harman was issued with a £60 fixed penalty notice and given three penalty points on her license for driving at 50mph in a portion of the A14 in Suffolk which had a temporary 40mph limit. Harman paid the fine several months late and avoided appearing at Ipswich magistrates court.^[22] A Labour Party source said of her failure to pay the fine "She made an innocent mistake. She forgot to pay on time because she was spending all her time on the deputy leadership contest touring the country."^[23]

[edit] Campaign donation from David Abrahams

Main article: Donorgate

In November 2007, it emerged that property developer David Abrahams' secretary Janet Kidd had given a donation of £5,000 donor to Harman's successful deputy leadership bid.^[24] After an investigation by The Mail on Sunday newspaper into other donations made by people associated with Abrahams, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown's assertion that all such monies would be returned, Harman issued a statement saying she accepted the donation on 4 July "in good faith," had registered the monies with the Electoral Commission and the Register of Members' Interests, and that she "was not aware of any funding arrangements... between David Abrahams and Janet Kidd".^[25] Harriet Harman was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 PM programme on 27 November 2007 and was evasive when asked to confirm or deny that her campaign team had contacted Janet Kidd soliciting money and was unable to answer this question directly, preferring to change the subject. On 28 November the BBC's Nick Robinson reported on his blog^[26] that Mrs Harman had now revealed that her team "may" have asked Mrs Kidd for a donation. The blog entry goes on to wonder whether Mrs Kidd informed the campaign team at that point that she was acting as a proxy. Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington who was working on the deputy leadership of Hilary Benn, questioned and turned down a similar donation of £5,000 by Mrs Kidd; but it was subsequently accepted by Benn's team when made under the name of Mr Abrahams.^[25] Kidd offered another donation to the leadership campaign of Gordon Brown, but was turned down as she was not a known donor.^[27]

[edit] Personal life

[edit] Family connections

Harman has significant family connections. Her father was a brother of Elizabeth Longford, the writer who wrote biographies of, amongst others, Queen Victoria and Wellington. Lady Longford was married to Francis Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, the lawyer and social reformer. Harman's first cousins include the writers Thomas Pakenham, Rachel Billington and the historian Antonia Fraser. Fraser is married to Harold Pinter, and was once married to the politician Sir Hugh Fraser and is the mother of Flora Fraser, another writer. Also, Harman's great-grandparents were Arthur Chamberlain and Louisa Kenrick. Arthur Chamberlain was the brother of Joseph Chamberlain, the social reformer and radical politician who served under Gladstone and Salisbury. Louisa's cousin Harriet married Joseph Chamberlain and they were the parents of Sir Austen Chamberlain, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. Louisa Kenrick's sister Florence married Joseph Chamberlain after Harriet's death and they were the parents of Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937-1940.

Her sister Sarah was a lawyer and part-time judge. She resigned having been caught passing confidential papers to Harriet Harman, then Solicitor General. Sarah Harman was found guilty of contempt of court and "conduct unbefitting a solicitor". She was ordered to pay £25,000 costs.^[28]

Harman has a house in Suffolk,^[22] in addition to her 'main' home in South London.

[edit] References

[edit] Publications

• Sex Discrimination in Schools: How to Fight it by Harriet Harman, 1978, Civil Liberties Trust ISBN 0-901108-73-1
• Justice Deserted: Subversion of the Jury by Harriet Harman et al, 1979, Civil Liberties Trust ISBN 0-901108-79-0
• Violence Against Social Workers: The Implications for Practice by Dan Norris, foreword by Harriet Harman, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1-85302-041-9
• The Family Way: A New Approach to Policy Making by Harriet Harman et al, 1990, Institute for Public Policy Research ISBN 1-872452-15-9
• The Century Gap: 20th Century Man/21st Century Woman by Harriet Harman, 1993, Vermilion ISBN 0-09-177819-0
• Winning for Women by Harriet Harman and Deborah Mattinson, 2000, Fabian Society ISBN 0-7163-0596-8
• Women with Attitude by Susan Vinnicombe, John Bank, foreword by Harriet Harman, 2002, Routledge ISBN 0-415-28742-1

[edit] External links

• Harriet Harman- official website
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Harriet Harman MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Harriet Harman MP
• Labour in Southwark

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Harry Lamborn	Member of Parliament for Peckham 1982–1997	Constituency abolished
Constituency created	Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham 1997–	Incumbent
Legal offices
Preceded by Ross Cranston	Solicitor General for England and Wales 2001–2005	Succeeded by Mike O'Brien
Political offices
Preceded by Peter Lilley	Secretary of State for Social Security 1997–1998	Succeeded by Alastair Darling
Preceded by John Prescott	Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 2007–	Incumbent
Preceded by Hazel Blears	Labour Party Chair 2007–
Preceded by Jack Straw	Leader of the House of Commons 2007–
	Lord Privy Seal 2007–
Preceded by New position	Secretary of State for Equalities 2007–
Order of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Rt Hon The Baroness Hayman (The Lord Speaker of the House of Lords)	Ladies Lord Privy Seal	Succeeded by Her Grace The Duchess of Norfolk

v • d • e UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)*

HM The Queen • HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and Rothesay • HRH The Countess of Wessex • HRH The Princess Royal • HRH Princess Beatrice of York • HRH Princess Eugenie of York • Lady Louise Windsor • HRH The Duchess of Gloucester • HRH The Duchess of Kent • HRH Princess Michael of Kent • HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy • The Rt Hon The Baroness Ashton of Upholland PC • The Rt Hon The Baroness Hayman PC • The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP *not including short-term appointments and visiting dignitaries

v • d • e Brown Cabinet
Alexander | Ashton | Balls | Benn | Blears | Brown | Browne | Burnham | Darling | Denham | Hain | Harman | Hoon | Hutton | Johnson | Kelly | D. Miliband | E. Miliband | Purnell | J. Smith | Straw | Woodward In attendance: Austin | Cooper | Grocott | Hughes | Jowell | Malloch-Brown | Scotland | A. Smith	Image:Her Majesty's Government Coat of Arms.svg

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