Jess Phillips (politician)

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Jess Phillips
MP
Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Yardley
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded by John Hemming
Majority 6,595 (16.0%)
Personal details
Born Jessica Rose Phillips[1]
1981 (age 42–43)[2]
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Leeds
University of Birmingham
Website Official website

Jessica Rose "Jess" Phillips (born 1981) is a British Labour Party politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Birmingham Yardley at the 2015 general election.

Early life and career

Phillips studied Economic and Social History/Social Policy at the University of Leeds between 2000 and 2003. Between 2011 and 2013, she studied a postgraduate diploma in Public Sector Management at the University of Birmingham.[3][4]

Prior to her election as an MP, Phillips worked as a business development manager at a domestic and sexual abuse charity[5][6][7] and before then at an events company within the health sector.[3] Phillips was also a barmaid and claims to have been groped innumerable times during her time in that position.[8]

Political career

Local councillor

In the 2012 local elections, she was elected as a Labour councillor for Longbridge ward, taking the seat from the Conservatives.[9] She was then appointed as the victims champion for Birmingham City Council, lobbying police and criminal justice organisations on behalf of victims.[6][7][10][11] She also served on the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel.[3]

Member of Parliament

Phillips was selected to contest Birmingham Yardley in June 2013, a constituency at the time represented by John Hemming of the Liberal Democrats who in 2010 held the seat with a 3,002 majority.[12] For the 2015 general election, Labour required a swing of 3.7% to take the seat,[13] and after a swing of 11.7% Phillips achieved a majority of 6,595 or 16% of votes cast.[14][15]

She made her maiden speech on 28 May 2015, highlighting the issue of homelessness.[16] In the 2015 Labour leadership election, Phillips nominated Yvette Cooper for leader and Tom Watson for deputy leader.[17][18]

Her media profile was raised first by The Huffington Post, in an interview with Owen Bennett published in July 2015. In response to a question about her childhood ambition she said that her aim had been to become Prime Minister.[19] In September, The Huffington Post published Phillips account of a row with fellow MP Diane Abbott about the gender composition of Jeremy Corbyn's first shadow cabinet: "Talking to The Huffington Post UK, Ms Phillips, who despite being elected in May has already earned a reputation for being one of the most outspoken MPs, said: 'I roundly told her to fuck off.' When asked what Ms Abbott did after that suggestion, Ms Phillips replied: 'She fucked off.'"[20]

In September 2015, Phillips was appointed by new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lucy Powell, the Shadow Education Secretary.[21]

In October 2015, Phillips claimed to be subjected to rape threats on social media after she opposed and laughed at proposals by the Conservative MP Philip Davies to hold a debate in Parliament on issues affecting men in observance of International Men's Day.[22][23] Phillips advocates a third option of "X" as a gender in documents, for people who identify as neither male nor female.[24]

In January 2016, Phillips said on Question Time that events akin to the mass sexual assaults in Cologne happened every week on Birmingham's Broad Street. Her remarks provoked widespread criticism and calls to resign,[25][26][27] and local police denied her claims.[28] After several thousand threatening or demeaning tweets were sent to Phillips in May 2016 within 36 hours, which Twitter said did not break its rules, Phillps accused the company in The Daily Telegraph of "colluding with my abusers".[29][30]

References

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 61230. p. 9119. 18 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-phillips/34/237/a42
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Yardley
2015–present		 Incumbent
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