Christine Crawley, Baroness Crawley
Encyclopedia
Christine Mary Crawley, Baroness Crawley FRSA
(born 9 January 1950) is a British
politician for the Labour Party
.
to train as a teacher. After graduation she began teaching children aged between 9 and 15, and also ran the local youth theatre. Her work to gain funding for the youth theatre brought her into contact with local politicians, and she became involved in politics, joining the Labour Party
. Soon after joining the party she became secretary of the local branch, and then Social Secretary for the local Women's Branch. She was elected as a District Councillor for the South Oxfordshire
District Council, at a time when the Labour Party was a minority party on the council.
In 1983 she ran for a seat in the House of Commons but was not elected, instead spending a year working on local issues before she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for the Birmingham East constituency)
. As an MEP Crawley was active on the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
and helped push their Maternity Leave Directive through, becoming Chair of that committee in 1989. She stepped down as an MEP in 1999, and is now a member of the West Midlands Regional Assembly and a sponsor of the National Women's Network. She was Chair of the Women's National Commission
between 1999 and 2001, and in 1998 was created Baroness Crawley, of Edgbaston in the County of West Midlands. Between 2002 and 2008 she served as a Party Whip in the House of Lords
.
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
(born 9 January 1950) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Early life and career
Crawley was educated at the Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School in Birmingham before going to Digby Stuart CollegeDigby Stuart College
Digby Stuart College is one of the four constituent colleges of Roehampton University. It was established in 1874 as a women's teacher training college by the Society of the Sacred Heart, an order of French religious women who settled at Roehampton in 1850, having first arrived in England in...
to train as a teacher. After graduation she began teaching children aged between 9 and 15, and also ran the local youth theatre. Her work to gain funding for the youth theatre brought her into contact with local politicians, and she became involved in politics, joining the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Soon after joining the party she became secretary of the local branch, and then Social Secretary for the local Women's Branch. She was elected as a District Councillor for the South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford....
District Council, at a time when the Labour Party was a minority party on the council.
In 1983 she ran for a seat in the House of Commons but was not elected, instead spending a year working on local issues before she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) for the Birmingham East constituency)
Birmingham East (European Parliament constituency)
Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
. As an MEP Crawley was active on the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality is a committee of the European Parliament.-Chair:-Members:*BASTOS, Regina *BAUER, Edit *BOZKURT, Emine *ČEŠKOVÁ, Andrea *CORNELISSEN, Marije *COSTA, Silvia *CYMAŃSKI, Tadeusz...
and helped push their Maternity Leave Directive through, becoming Chair of that committee in 1989. She stepped down as an MEP in 1999, and is now a member of the West Midlands Regional Assembly and a sponsor of the National Women's Network. She was Chair of the Women's National Commission
Women's National Commission
The Women's National Commission was a United Kingdom advisory non-departmental public body , it was set up in 1969 to advise government on women's views and to act as an umbrella body for UK-based women's groups in their dealings with government....
between 1999 and 2001, and in 1998 was created Baroness Crawley, of Edgbaston in the County of West Midlands. Between 2002 and 2008 she served as a Party Whip in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
External links
- Profile at New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....