Paulette Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Interim Chair and Deputy Chair of theHealth and Social Care Select Committee | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Layla Moran |
| Member of Parliament forBirmingham Erdington | |
| Assumed office 3 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Dromey |
| Majority | 7,019 (20.8%) |
| Member ofBirmingham City Council | |
| In office 10 June 2004 – 5 May 2022 | |
| Ward | Handsworth Wood (2004–2018) Holyhead (2018–2022) |
| Preceded by | Ward established |
| Succeeded by | Rinkal Shergill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paulette Adassa Hamilton 1962 or 1963 (age 62–63) Handsworth,Birmingham, England |
| Political party | Labour |
Paulette Adassa Hamilton (born 1962 or 1963)[1] is a BritishLabour politician who has served as the Interim (and Vice) Chair of theHealth and Social Care Select Committee since May 2025,[2] and has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forBirmingham Erdington since2022. She is the first black MP to represent a constituency in Birmingham. Hamilton was also a councillor on theBirmingham City Council between 2004 and 2022, representing the Handsworth Wood and later Holyhead ward.
Paulette Hamilton was born and grew up inHandsworth, West Midlands. Her parents emigrated to England fromJamaica in the 1960s aseconomic migrants and worked in factories. She has six siblings, and attended Wilkes Green Infant and Junior School (now William Murdoch Primary School). Hamilton reports that she experienced discrimination at her primary school, including teachers commenting that children like her were only destined "to have babies", as well as questioning whether she could read. She later attendedKing Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy, where she was inspired by her mathematics teacher, Mr Potter, who supported her in gaining sevenO Levels.[3]
Hamilton worked as a nurse in the NHS for 25 years, including as a district nurse, sister, and later as a regional development officer for the trade unionRoyal College of Nursing.[4]
Hamilton was elected as a councillor onBirmingham City Council, representing Handsworth Wood between 2004 and 2018, and Holyhead between 2018 and 2022.[5] She served as Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care on the council from 2015 to 2022.[6]
She was selected as theLabour candidate for the2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election on 26 January 2022. The by-election was called after the death of Labour MPJack Dromey, who had represented the constituency since the2010 general election.
The day before the by-election,GB News published footage from a 2015 panel discussion about increasing political representation of ethnic minorities called "The Ballot or the Bullet – Does your vote count?", which Hamilton attended. This event was named after thespeech of the same name by American human rights activistMalcolm X. In the footage, Hamilton commented "I'm not sure we will get what we really deserve in this country using the vote". In response to the footage, two Conservative MPs called for her suspension. The Labour Party responded that "her comments had been misrepresented and taken out of context...". Hamilton reported that she had received "horrendous" online abuse due to the publication of the footage.[1]
At the 2022 by-election, Hamilton was elected as MP for Birmingham Erdington with 55.5% of the vote and a majority of 3,266.[7][8] She was Birmingham's first black MP.[9]
Hamilton has been a member of theHealth and Social Care Select Committee since July 2022.[10]
In 2023 she called forlicence fee payers to be consulted over proposed cuts to local BBC radio.[11]
At the2024 general election, Hamilton was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Birmingham Erdington with a decreased vote share of 43.7% and an increased majority of 7,019.[12]
Hamilton is married to amilliner, Dennis, who runs a shop inGrand Central, Birmingham. They have five children, one step-child and seven grandchildren.[13][14]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBirmingham Erdington 2022–present | Incumbent |