Miatta Nema Fahnbulleh (born 29 September 1979)[1] is a British politician and economist. A member of Labour Co-op, she was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Peckham in the 2024 United Kingdom general election. Fahnbulleh is currently serving as a junior minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, appointed by Keir Starmer. She is considered to belong to the soft left of the Labour Party.
Miatta Fahnbulleh | |
---|---|
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Consumers | |
Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Amanda Solloway |
Member of Parliament for Peckham | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Constituency restablished |
Majority | 15,228 (39.3%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Miatta Nema Fahnbulleh 29 September 1979 Liberia |
Nationality |
|
Political party | Labour Co-op |
Spouse | Graham |
Relations | Gamal Fahnbulleh (brother) Miatta Fahnbulleh (aunt) |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Lincoln College, Oxford (BA) London School of Economics (MA, PhD) |
Profession | Developmental economist |
Website | miattafahnbulleh |
Early life and education
editFahnbulleh was born in Liberia to a Liberian father and a Sierra Leonean mother and has a brother, Gamal.[2] The family fled at the onset of the First Liberian Civil War in 1986 to the UK where they applied for asylum.[3]
Fahnbulleh attended Beechwood Sacred Heart School, an independent school in Tunbridge Wells.[3] After studying at Lincoln College, Oxford, she graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics and economics and obtained a PhD degree in Economic Development in 2005 from the London School of Economics.[4][3][5] Fahnbulleh wrote her thesis on the adoption of and success of industrial policy in Ghana and Kenya.[5]
Early career
editFahnbulleh was the Head of Cities in the policy unit at the Cabinet Office from 2011 to 2013; the director of policy and research at the IPPR from December 2016 to November 2017; and the Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation between November 2017 and December 2023.[3][6][7] She was also a Policy Fellow at the think tank Labour Together.[8]
On 22 May 2022, Fahnbulleh was a recipient of the MotheRED grant, which provides funding for mothers to stand as parliamentary candidates for the Labour Party.[9] In September 2022, Fahnbulleh announced that she was standing to be the prospective parliamentary candidate in Camberwell and Peckham at the next general election.[10] On 19 November 2022, she was selected by local Labour Party members as the candidate to succeed Harriet Harman, who stood down after 40 years as an MP.[11][12][13]
Fahnbulleh has been a regular panellist on the BBC television programme Question Time.[14]
Parliamentary career
editIn the 2024 United Kingdom general election, she was elected in Peckham with a reduced majority.[15] On 9 July 2024, Fahnbulleh was appointed as a junior minister (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.[16][17]
Political views
editFahnbulleh is a member of the Labour and Co-operative parties.[18] Ideologically, she is considered to belong to the soft left of the Labour Party. She has campaigned for urgent action on the climate crisis.[19] A left-wing economist, she has described herself as a heterodox economist and has advocated for change to the economic system.[20][21]
Personal life
editFahnbulleh is married to Graham and has three children.[9][22][23] Her aunt is the singer Miatta Fahnbulleh, with whom she shares a name.[23]
References
edit- ^ "Miatta Nema FAHNBULLEH - Personal Appointments (Free information from Companies House)".
- ^ "Sky News Daily - What does it mean to be black and British?".
- ^ a b c d Foster, Dawn (31 October 2017). "Miatta Fahnbulleh: 'People's tolerance for an unfair economic model has hit a buffer'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ "Miatta Fahnbulleh". Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ a b "The Elusive Quest for Industrialisation in Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Kenya, c1950-2000". Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "New Economics Foundation appoints Dr Danny Sriskandarajah as new Chief Exec". New Economics Foundation (Press release). Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Jeraj, Samir (16 February 2022). "Miatta Fahnbulleh: Skill up to save the planet". New Statesman.
- ^ "Who we are". Labour Together. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ a b Creasy, Stella (22 May 2022). "The first 18 mothers who will receive a MotheRED grant to stand for selection". LabourList. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ Neame, Katie (23 September 2022). "Camberwell and Peckham's next Labour candidate – runners and riders". LabourList. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ Russell, Herbie (19 November 2022). "Miatta Fahnbulleh is set to be Labour candidate for Camberwell and Peckham". Southwark News. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ Miatta Fahnbulleh [@Miatsf] (19 November 2022). "I'm absolutely elated to have been selected as Labour's parliamentary candidate for Camberwell & Peckham! Thank you to local party members, & all those who supported me because they want this community to have a national voice fighting for the big ideas that change our lives" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (7 December 2021). "Harriet Harman to step down after 40 years in parliament". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ Griffiths, Robbie (6 July 2024). "Meet the Starmtroopers – the bright young MPs set to shine in Labour's new era". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Peckham - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Starmer gives government jobs to brand new MPs". 9 July 2024 – via bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Miatta Fahnbulleh MP" – via gov.uk.
- ^ Firth, Robert (26 June 2024). "The South London area getting its first new MP in 40 years but they don't know who they can trust". MyLondon. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Savage, Michael (7 July 2024). "Big brains and glittering careers: five fresh Labour MPs to watch". The Observer. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Church, Sophie (6 June 2024). "Miatta Fahnbulleh: 'I'm going to be trying to push us to go further'". PoliticsHome: The House. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Russell, Herbie (2 June 2024). "Miatta Fanhbulleh: Who is Peckham's new Labour candidate and what does she stand for?". Southwark News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Eaton, George (7 April 2018). "New Economics Foundation head Miatta Fahnbulleh on how to replace the UK's broken economic model". New Statesman. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ a b Partington, Richard (7 May 2024). "'Labour will surpass your expectations': the leftwing thinktank boss standing on Starmer's agenda". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2024.