Sharon Hodgson
Encyclopedia
Sharon Hodgson is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Washington and Sunderland West
since 2010. She was previously the MP for Gateshead East and Washington West.
, Tyne and Wear
and was educated locally at Greenwell Junior High School and Heathfield Senior High School, where she obtained eight O-Levels. After school she worked as an accounts clerk in the Team Valley
, then attended Newcastle College
and the Trades Union Congress
Academy in London
.
Later she worked for Northern Rock
in Gosforth
, and then as a payroll
and accounting clerk
in various local companies. After becoming a full-time mother for a few years in the mid-1990s, and volunteering for the Labour Party
in Stockton-on-Tees
during the 1997 General Election
, she became a party organiser in 1999. In 2000, she became the local Party organiser for two years in the Mitcham and Morden constituency, helping the sitting Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh
to be re-elected at the 2001 General Election
. Before becoming an MP herself, Hodgson worked as Labour Link Officer for UNISON
.
She was elected for two years as the women's officer within the Tyne Bridge
Constituency Labour Party
(CLP) in 1998. In 2002 she was elected as the secretary of the Mitcham and Morden CLP in the London Borough of Merton
.
for Gateshead East and Washington West. Her selection followed the retirement of the sitting Labour MP Joyce Quin
, and came about as a result of a controversial All-Women Shortlist. Hodgson held the seat with a majority of 13,407, and made her maiden speech
on 25 May 2005.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050525/debtext/50525-32.htm#50525-32_spnew0
Following boundary changes the seat of Gateshead East and Washington West has been abolished and replaced by two new seats, Gateshead
and Washington and Sunderland West
at the next General Election. David Clelland
, the current MP for Tyne Bridge
was chosen in December 2006 by Labour Party members to fight the new seat of Gateshead
at the next election.
Following her defeat in Gateshead
, Hodgson announced her intention to run for selection as the Labour Party candidate for the new Washington and Sunderland West
seat in September 2007, and she was selected. She won the seat in the 2010 General Election.
In Parliament she has served on a number of select committees since her election in 2005, including the North East Regional Committee and the Children Schools and Families Committee. She has also served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Liam Byrne
in the Home Office
, Bob Ainsworth
at the Ministry of Defence
and Dawn Primarolo
at the Department of Health. In June 2009 Hodgson was promoted to the position of assistant Government Whip.
Back in opposition, the new Labour Leader, Ed Miliband
, appointed her Shadow Children and Families Minister in October 2010.
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...
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...
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 Washington and Sunderland West
Washington and Sunderland West (UK Parliament constituency)
-See also:* Constituencies in the United Kingdom general election, 2010* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear* Houghton and Sunderland South* Sunderland Central...
since 2010. She was previously the MP for Gateshead East and Washington West.
Early life
Hodgson was born in GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
and was educated locally at Greenwell Junior High School and Heathfield Senior High School, where she obtained eight O-Levels. After school she worked as an accounts clerk in the Team Valley
Team Valley
Team Valley is a traditionally heavily industrial area of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. More recently it has become home to the 'Retail World' retail park, which makes up just a small percentage of the entirety of the Team Valley Trading Estate...
, then attended Newcastle College
Newcastle College
Newcastle College is a Further Education and Higher Education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the largest mixed economy College in the country and claims to offer more courses in more subjects than any of its geographical competitors....
and the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
Academy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Later she worked for Northern Rock
Northern Rock
Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...
in Gosforth
Gosforth
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of 23,620...
, and then as a payroll
Payroll
In a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Payroll plays a major role in a company for several reasons...
and accounting clerk
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales, purchases, income, receipts and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping should not be confused with accounting. The accounting process is usually...
in various local companies. After becoming a full-time mother for a few years in the mid-1990s, and volunteering 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...
in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
during the 1997 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, she became a party organiser in 1999. In 2000, she became the local Party organiser for two years in the Mitcham and Morden constituency, helping the sitting Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh
Siobhain McDonagh
Siobhain Ann McDonagh is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden since 1997. She previously served as an Assistant Whip in the Labour Government, but was fired following comments regarding a leadership contest to replace PM Gordon Brown.She...
to be re-elected at the 2001 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. Before becoming an MP herself, Hodgson worked as Labour Link Officer for UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
.
She was elected for two years as the women's officer within the Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
(CLP) in 1998. In 2002 she was elected as the secretary of the Mitcham and Morden CLP in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
.
Parliamentary career
In 2004 Hodgson was chosen as the Labour candidate for the 2005 General 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....
for Gateshead East and Washington West. Her selection followed the retirement of the sitting Labour MP Joyce Quin
Joyce Quin, Baroness Quin
Joyce Gwendolen Quin, Baroness Quin, PC is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.Quin was educated at Whitley Bay Grammar School, University of Newcastle and the London School of Economics...
, and came about as a result of a controversial All-Women Shortlist. Hodgson held the seat with a majority of 13,407, and made her maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 25 May 2005.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050525/debtext/50525-32.htm#50525-32_spnew0
Following boundary changes the seat of Gateshead East and Washington West has been abolished and replaced by two new seats, Gateshead
Gateshead (UK Parliament constituency)
Gateshead 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. A previous Gateshead constituency existed from 1832 to 1950....
and Washington and Sunderland West
Washington and Sunderland West (UK Parliament constituency)
-See also:* Constituencies in the United Kingdom general election, 2010* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear* Houghton and Sunderland South* Sunderland Central...
at the next General Election. David Clelland
David Clelland
David Gordon Clelland is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Tyne Bridge from 1985 until 2010.-Early life:...
, the current MP for Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
was chosen in December 2006 by Labour Party members to fight the new seat of Gateshead
Gateshead (UK Parliament constituency)
Gateshead 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. A previous Gateshead constituency existed from 1832 to 1950....
at the next election.
Following her defeat in Gateshead
Gateshead (UK Parliament constituency)
Gateshead 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. A previous Gateshead constituency existed from 1832 to 1950....
, Hodgson announced her intention to run for selection as the Labour Party candidate for the new Washington and Sunderland West
Washington and Sunderland West (UK Parliament constituency)
-See also:* Constituencies in the United Kingdom general election, 2010* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear* Houghton and Sunderland South* Sunderland Central...
seat in September 2007, and she was selected. She won the seat in the 2010 General Election.
In Parliament she has served on a number of select committees since her election in 2005, including the North East Regional Committee and the Children Schools and Families Committee. She has also served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne
Liam Dominic Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004, and was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2009 to 2010 before being appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 20 January 2011.-Early...
in the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, Bob Ainsworth
Bob Ainsworth
Robert William Ainsworth is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North East since 1992, and was the Secretary of State for Defence from 2009 to 2010...
at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and Dawn Primarolo
Dawn Primarolo
Dawn Primarolo is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bristol South since 1987. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2009 to May 2010 and is now a Deputy Speaker of...
at the Department of Health. In June 2009 Hodgson was promoted to the position of assistant Government Whip.
Back in opposition, the new Labour Leader, 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...
, appointed her Shadow Children and Families Minister in October 2010.
Personal life
She married Alan Hodgson in June 1990 in Gateshead. They have a son called Joseph and a daughter called Emily.External links
- Sharon Hodgson MP Official website of Sharon Hodgson MP
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Sharon Hodgson MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Sharon Hodgson MP
- BBC Politics