Paula Sherriff | |
|---|---|
 Sherriff in 2017 | |
| Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health | |
| In office 12 January 2018 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Barbara Keeley (2016) |
| Succeeded by | Liz Kendall[a] (2020) |
| Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities | |
| In office 17 October 2016 – 12 January 2018 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Cat Smith |
| Succeeded by | Naz Shah |
| Member of Parliament forDewsbury | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Simon Reevell |
| Succeeded by | Mark Eastwood |
| Member ofWakefield Council forPontefract North | |
| In office 3 May 2012 – 20 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Lorna Malkin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1975-04-16)16 April 1975 (age 50) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | Official website |
Paula Michelle Sherriff (born 16 April 1975) is a BritishLabour politician who served as theMember of Parliament (MP) forDewsbury from 2015 to 2019.
Prior to her election to Parliament, Sherriff worked in the police force, providing victim support, and in community care on theNHS frontline.[1] Her sister Lee Sherriff is a member ofCarlisle City Council, and unsuccessfully contested theCarlisle constituency at the2015 general election.[2][3]
Sherriff served as a member ofWakefield District Council forPontefract North from2012, gaining the seat from theConservatives, until her resignation 2015.[4][5]
In November 2013, Sherriff was selected from anall-women shortlist by theDewsbury Constituency Labour Party (CLP) as their prospective parliamentary candidate.[6] She was elected to Parliament at the2015 general election, gaining Dewsbury from incumbent ConservativeSimon Reevell.
In July 2015, she was one of 48 Labour MPs who rebelled against the party whip to vote against the welfare bill.[7] Later in the same year, she nominatedYvette Cooper in the2015 Labour Party leadership election.[8]
In September 2015, she secured an agreement fromWHSmith to reduce the price of their goods in hospitals, against whom had she had launched a campaign for exploiting vulnerable patients and their families. Subsequently, the company agreed to match their high street prices in hospital stores.[9]
In 2015, Sherriff was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) toJon Trickett, thenShadow Communities and Local Government Secretary. On 11 January 2016, Sherriff resigned from this role to campaign against "Tory cuts" and to focus on her work on the health select committee.[10]
Sherriff became the first backbench MP in Parliamentary history to have an amendment to a government Budget resolution successfully adopted when her motion to abolish the "Tampon Tax" was passed. On 21 March 2016, the government acknowledged that the tax would be abolished. Both the Prime Minister and theLeader of the Labour Party commended her work on the issue.[11]
She supportedOwen Smith in the2016 Labour leadership election.[12]
Sherriff secured a U-turn on planned reduction in bed numbers at Dewsbury hospital and has campaigned against the hospital being downgraded.[13] Sherriff also campaigned against proposed downgrades toHuddersfield Royal Infirmary.[14][15]
Sherriff was Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Hate Crime and Women's Health.[16]
Sherriff was re-elected at the2017 general election with an increased majority.[17]
She was appointedShadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care in January 2018 and has led on the Labour Party's efforts to secure additional funding for mental health services and provide early intervention with effective child and adolescent mental health services.[18]
In September 2019, Sherriff took part in the "humbug debate" and criticisedPrime MinisterBoris Johnson for using inflammatory language.[19][20][21][22]
In 2018, Labour MPBarry Sheerman accused then Labour MPChris Williamson of campaigning for the deselection of moderate incumbents including Sherriff.[23] Nevertheless, she was unanimously re-selected the following year.[24]
She lost her seat to the Conservative Party'sMark Eastwood at the2019 general election.[25]
In 2020, Sherriff twice unsuccessfully stood for a seat on theLabour Party's National Executive Committee in a spring by-election and an autumn regular election.[26] She stood as an independent in the by-election, but was endorsed by theTribune group of MPs in the subsequent contest alongside former MPLiz McInnes and formerMEPTheresa Griffin.[27][28]
In 2020, Sherriff announced her candidacy to contend the Labour nomination for the new office ofMayor of West Yorkshire, however, she withdrew due to her breast cancer treatment.[29][30]LabourList listed her as a potential Labour candidate for the2021 by-election in the neighbouring constituency ofBatley and Spen, but she did not run.[31]
In March 2020, Sherriff was diagnosed withbreast cancer.[32]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDewsbury 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |
