David Lammy
Encyclopedia
David Lindon Lammy is a British Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tottenham
since 2000
.
Lammy has commented on Britain's history of slavery.
, North London, to Guyanese
parents and brought up by his mother. Lammy advocates positive parenting and he has said fathers should be active in the lives of their children. Lammy has spoken publicly on the topic of black fatherhood in the 21st Century, attempting to address issues with fatherhood, particularly in the black working class.
Lammy was awarded an Inner London Education Authority
choral scholarship to The King's School, Peterborough
. He studied law at the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London, obtaining a first class degree. Lammy went onto study a Master's degree
at Harvard Law School
and is a member of Lincoln's Inn
having been called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1994.
on the London-wide list to the London Assembly
. During the London election campaign the sitting member
for Tottenham
, Bernie Grant
, died and Lammy was selected as the Labour candidate. He was elected to the seat, on a low turnout, in a by-election
held on 22 June 2000. Upon his election Lammy become the Baby of the House
. In 2002 he became Parliamentary under-Secretary
in the Department of Health. In 2003 Lammy was appointed as a Minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs
. After the 2005 general election
Lammy was appointed Minister for Culture at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
In June 2007 Lammy was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
. In October 2008 he was promoted to Minister of State and was appointed to the Privy Council. In June 2009 the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was abolished and merged with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
to form the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
. Lammy continued in the new department in his previous role as the Minister for Higher Education.
was announced. During the contest Lammy nominated Diane Abbott
, although declaring his support for David Miliband
. After the election of Ed Miliband
, Lammy pledged his full support for Miliband, though he turned down a post in the Shadow Cabinet
offered by Miliband. Lammy asserted a need to speak on a wide range of issues that would arise in his constituency due to the large cuts in the public services that his constituents rely on. Deciding instead to become a back-bench opposition MP
. Lammy has opposed the Coalition Government
's comprehensive spending review.
's bid to become the Labour London Mayoral candidate, declaring him 'London's Mayor in waiting'. Lammy became Livingstone's selection campaign chair.
night in 2005 Lammy described George Galloway
of the Respect party as a "carpetbagger
" and said that he had "come down from Scotland to whip up racial tensions". Galloway contested that, saying his previous constituency in Scotland had been dissolved and that he had the right to stand as a British MP wherever he had support.
On 11 August 2011, in an address to Parliament, Lammy attributed part of the cause for the riots to, not government cuts, but "A Grand Theft Auto
culture that glamorises violence. A consumer culture fixated on the brands we wear, not who we are and what we achieve. A gang culture with warped notions of loyalty, respect and honour."
and has two children.
In November 2011, he published a book - "Out of the Ashes: Britain after the riots" - that serves as his account on the causes and consequences of the August 2011 riots.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Tottenham
Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Tottenham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
since 2000
Tottenham by-election, 2000
The Labour Member of Parliament for Tottenham, Bernie Grant, died on 8 April 2000, creating a by-election in his constituency.Grant was one of the first four black MPs and the constituency was one of the centres of the London Afro-Caribbean community...
.
Lammy has commented on Britain's history of slavery.
Early life and Education
Lammy was born in TottenhamTottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, North London, to Guyanese
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
parents and brought up by his mother. Lammy advocates positive parenting and he has said fathers should be active in the lives of their children. Lammy has spoken publicly on the topic of black fatherhood in the 21st Century, attempting to address issues with fatherhood, particularly in the black working class.
Lammy was awarded an Inner London Education Authority
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
choral scholarship to The King's School, Peterborough
The King's School, Peterborough
The King's School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England comprehensive secondary school in Peterborough, England. On the 1st January 2011, the School became an academy and changed its name from 'The King's School, Peterborough'...
. He studied law at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London, obtaining a first class degree. Lammy went onto study a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and is a member of Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
having been called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1994.
Early career and Government 2000 - 2010
In 2000 he was elected for LabourLabour 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...
on the London-wide list to the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
. During the London election campaign the sitting member
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tottenham
Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Tottenham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, Bernie Grant
Bernie Grant
Bernard Alexander Montgomery Grant , known simply as Bernie Grant, was a politician in the United Kingdom, and was Labour member of Parliament for Tottenham at the time of his death....
, died and Lammy was selected as the Labour candidate. He was elected to the seat, on a low turnout, in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 22 June 2000. Upon his election Lammy become the Baby of the House
Baby of the House
Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament.-Australia:In Australia the term is rarely used...
. In 2002 he became Parliamentary under-Secretary
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
in the Department of Health. In 2003 Lammy was appointed as a Minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs
Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
. After the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
Lammy was appointed Minister for Culture at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
In June 2007 Lammy was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. In June 2009 it was merged into the newly formed Department for...
. In October 2008 he was promoted to Minister of State and was appointed to the Privy Council. In June 2009 the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was abolished and merged with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry , and was itself disbanded on 6 June 2009 on the creation of the Department for Business,...
to form the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
. Lammy continued in the new department in his previous role as the Minister for Higher Education.
Backbench MP 2010- Onwards
After Labour lost the 2010 general election a Labour Party leadership contestLabour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010
The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered by a general election which resulted in a hung parliament. On 10 May, Gordon Brown resigned as Leader of the Labour Party. The following day, he stepped down as Prime Minister....
was announced. During the contest Lammy nominated Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
, although declaring his support for David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
. After the election of Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, Lammy pledged his full support for Miliband, though he turned down a post in the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
offered by Miliband. Lammy asserted a need to speak on a wide range of issues that would arise in his constituency due to the large cuts in the public services that his constituents rely on. Deciding instead to become a back-bench opposition MP
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
. Lammy has opposed the Coalition Government
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
's comprehensive spending review.
2012 Mayor of London
In 2010 there were suggestions that Lammy might stand for election as Mayor of London in 2012. Lammy pledged his support to Ken LivingstoneKen Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
's bid to become the Labour London Mayoral candidate, declaring him 'London's Mayor in waiting'. Lammy became Livingstone's selection campaign chair.
Political comment
On electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
night in 2005 Lammy described George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
of the Respect party as a "carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
" and said that he had "come down from Scotland to whip up racial tensions". Galloway contested that, saying his previous constituency in Scotland had been dissolved and that he had the right to stand as a British MP wherever he had support.
On 11 August 2011, in an address to Parliament, Lammy attributed part of the cause for the riots to, not government cuts, but "A Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (video game)
Grand Theft Auto is a 1997 action-adventure video game created by British games developer DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive. The game allows the player to take on the role of a criminal who can roam freely around a big city. Various missions are set for completion, such as bank...
culture that glamorises violence. A consumer culture fixated on the brands we wear, not who we are and what we achieve. A gang culture with warped notions of loyalty, respect and honour."
Personal life
Lammy is married to Nicola GreenNicola Green
-Early Life and Education:Nicola Green was born in London in 1972. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1998 with a Distinction in Master of Fine Arts under the supervision of minimalist Alan Johnston.-Career:...
and has two children.
In November 2011, he published a book - "Out of the Ashes: Britain after the riots" - that serves as his account on the causes and consequences of the August 2011 riots.
External links
- David Lammy official website