Chuka Umunna: Difference between revisions
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| office = Joint [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Leader of the Opposition (UK)|Leader of the Opposition]] |
| office = Joint [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Leader of the Opposition (UK)|Leader of the Opposition]] |
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| alongside = [[Anne McGuire]] |
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| term_start = 10 October 2010 |
| term_start = 10 October 2010 |
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| leader = [[Ed Miliband]] |
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| predecessor = [[Desmond Swayne]] |
| predecessor = [[Desmond Swayne]] |
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Revision as of 19:57, 10 October 2010
Chuka Umunna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Joint Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition | |
| Member of Parliament for Streatham | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Keith Hill |
| Majority | 3,259 (7.0%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 October 1978 [1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Relations | Sir Helenus Milmo, QC (High Court judge - grandfather) Patrick Milmo (libel lawyer - uncle) |
| Alma mater | St. Dunstan's College (Independent school) University of Manchester University of Burgundy Nottingham Law School |
| Occupation | MP |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | www.streathamlabour.org.uk/ |
Chuka Harrison Umunna (born 17 October 1978) is a British Labour Party politician and employment lawyer. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Streatham since the 2010 general election.
Education
Chuka Umunna was educated in the state, Voluntary Aided and independent sectors: firstly, at the state Hitherfield Primary School near the centre of Streatham in south London; second, at the Voluntary Aided Christ Church C of E Primary School (Cotherstone Road) in the Brixton Hill area of Streatham[2] ; and third, at the independent secondary school St. Dunstan's College in Catford in south-east London. He then went up to the University of Manchester in Manchester, where he studied English and French Law, obtaining a 2:1 degree, followed by the University of Burgundy in Dijon in France, and Nottingham Law School in Nottingham.[3]
Family History
Umunna is of mixed English, Nigerian and Irish descent.[4] He is the grandson of High Court Judge Sir Helenus Milmo, QC. Umunna is also the nephew of leading libel lawyer Patrick Milmo.[5]
Career
Umunna is a lawyer and a leading member of the centre-left pressure group, Compass, on whose management committee he sits, and often speaks on its behalf in the media.[6]
Umunna has written for the Financial Times[7], Tribune, The Voice, The Guardian, the New Statesman[8] and is one of The Guardian’s Comment is Free website contributors. He also occasionally appears on television and radio including on The Daily Politics on BBC2 and Question Time Extra on BBC News 24.
He is the founder and former editor of the online political magazine, TMP, which is primarily aimed at left-leaning ethnic-minority Britons. Contributors to the site include Lady Prosser, David Lammy MP, Keith Vaz MP and Jon Cruddas MP (Umunna was a campaign aide to Cruddas during his Labour Party Deputy Leadership campaign). Umunna is a member of the executive committee of the Black Socialist Society [9], an affiliate of the Labour Party.
Having graduated with a 2:1 degree in English and French Law from the University of Manchester, and a period of brief study at the University of Burgundy, followed by Nottingham Law School, Umunna started his legal career as a solicitor at the international law firm, Herbert Smith, in the City of London where Umunna mostly acted for large employers. In 2006, he moved to the central London law firm, Rochman Landau, where he mainly acts for employees. As an employment lawyer, Umunna often speaks and writes on employment issues.[10][11]
He is trustee of the youth charity the Generation Next Foundation, alongside Martin Offiah, Leo Ihenacho and Rikki Beadle-Blair,[12] and was formerly a trustee of the Anthony Bourne Foundation and the 409 Project. Umunna was quoted[13] in the wake of the numerous killings of teenagers in Britain linked to gangs and violence in urban Britain. His comments[14] that the problems of young people living in the inner cities are linked to the wealth divide and increasing consumerism were widely reported.[14]
He challenged former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie for making anti-Scottish remarks on the BBC's Question Time television programme in October 2007, on which they were both panellists.[15]
In November 2007, Umunna was identified as one of ten young, gifted and black people in British politics in The Independent on Sunday by Simon Woolley, director of Operation Black Vote. Woolley said Umunna "may end up as the UK's Barack Obama".[16] In a February 2008 edition of the New Statesman, he was referred to in an article entitled "Is there a British Obama?".[17]
In March 2008, Umunna was chosen by local Labour Party members as the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Streatham constituency in London, following the announcement of the retirement of Keith Hill.
He was also described in the New Statesman as "a Barack Obama for Britain" [18] In January 2009, the New Statesman identified Umunna as one of Ten People Who Could Change the World.[19] He was also one of the individuals selected for The Observer's January 2009 Hotlist, which highlighted people set to make a mark over the coming year.[20].
In May 2009, he was chosen to be part of a panel of ten figures from across the political spectrum addressing the question: How do we restore the reputation of Parliament? by The Independent following the expenses crisis.[21]
In January 2010, he was named by The Independent as one the politicians making the best use of microblogging website Twitter as a communication tool.[22]
Member of Parliament
Umunna delivered his maiden speech on June 2, 2010. He highlighted the need for new school building projects in his constituency, and he also called for better financial regulation of the banking sector.[23] Umunna was subsequently elected by his colleagues to serve on the Treasury Select Committee.[24] In July 2010, Umunna had a heated exchange with Chancellor George Osborne, over the Chancellor's emergency budget and its impact on the poorest in society.[25] Umunna then published an open letter to the Chancellor, recommending that he raise taxes on large banks rather than increasing VAT. He also called for the Chancellor to enact his spending cuts more gradually in order to let the economic recovery time to take hold.[26]
Umunna was one of 73 Labour MPs to nominate Ed Miliband, the successful candidate, in the 2010 election to find a party leader to succeed Gordon Brown.[27] On 10th October 2010, it was announced that Umunna was to be appointed joint Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ed Miliband along with MP for Stirling Anne McGuire.
References
- ^ "Chuka Umunna MP". BBC Democracy Live. BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ Profile of Chuka Umunna from This Is Local London
- ^ Profile of Chuka Umunna from Operation Black Vote
- ^ http://www.streathamlabour.org.uk/about-chuka/
- ^ Landon-Down, Grania (06-02-21). "Black lawyers' directory to improve diversity". London: The Times. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Expert calls for IHT threshold to be held", Investment News, London Stock Exchange, 12 October 2007
- ^ Umunna, Chuka, “Ask the expert: Diversity in the City”, Financial Times, 11 September 2006
- ^ Umunna, Chuka, “The duty to inspire”, New Statesman, 30 August 2007
- ^ Holloway, Lester, "Leading our own struggle", 21 June 2006
- ^ Black Lawyers Directory Profile
- ^ “Inequality costs £1m per hour”, Personnel Today, 20 September 2007
- ^ [1]
- ^ Womack, Sarah, “Black boys need role models not rappers”, The Telegraph, 14 August 2007
- ^ a b Umunna, Chuka, “In our inner cities, gangs are the new extended families”, The Guardian, 9 August 2007
- ^ Akbar, Arifa, “Former 'Sun' editor MacKenzie outrages Scots”, The Independent, 27 October 2007
- ^ Woolley, Simon, “Young, gifted and black: Politics choices”, The Independent on Sunday, 4 November 2007
- ^ Matthews, David, “Is there a British Obama?”, The New Statesman, 7 February 2008
- ^ Martin Bright, New Statesman 8 January 2009
- ^ Ten people who could change the world, New Statesman
- ^ The 2009 Hotlist, The Guardian
- ^ Reform now: 10 ways to save our system, The Independent
- ^ Tweet democracy: Who are the best Westminster warblers?
- ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100602/debtext/100602-0015.htm
- ^ http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/treasury-committee/membership/
- ^ Inman, Phillip (15 July 2010). "George Osborne offers MPs veto on choice of next budget watchdog". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Chuka Umunna: an open letter to George Osborne". The Guardian. London. 17 July 2010.
- ^ Ed Miliband: Nominations, The Labour Party, London.Access date: 24 May 2010.