Barry Gardiner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barry Gardiner
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Sir Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jim Knight | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Shaw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Delivery and Efficiency | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Sir Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nigel Griffiths | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Office abolished | ||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 2 April 2004 – 10 May 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | Sir Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jane Kennedy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jeff Rooker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Brent West Brent North (1997–2024) |
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| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Rhodes Boyson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 3,793 (9.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Barry Strachan Gardiner
10 March 1957 Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||||
Barry Strachan Gardiner (born 10 March 1957) is a British politician. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent North from 1997 until 2024. Since 2024, he has represented Brent West. He is a member of the Labour Party.
Barry Gardiner's father was an Olympic footballer. Barry was born and went to school in Glasgow, Scotland. Later, he moved to Hertfordshire for his education. He studied at the University of St Andrews and Harvard University. He also did research at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
He was first elected to public office in Cambridge. In 1992, he became the youngest mayor of the city. After leaving local government in 1994, he worked in arbitration (helping solve disagreements). He was then elected to Parliament in 1997.
Barry Gardiner served as a junior minister in the government from 2004 to 2007. Later, he held important roles in the Official Opposition (the main party not in power). He was a Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and for International Climate Change. He returned to being a regular MP in 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Path to Politics
Barry Gardiner was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, John Gardiner, was an Olympic footballer. His mother was a surgeon and was the first woman to win a special gold medal for surgery at the University of Glasgow.
He attended the High School of Glasgow and Haileybury and Imperial Service College in Hertfordshire. He earned a degree from the University of St Andrews. For two years, he worked for the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain. When he was young, he thought about becoming a priest. He also started to believe in democratic and Christian socialism.
In 1983, Barry Gardiner received a special scholarship to study philosophy at Harvard University. He then did research at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1984. In 1988, he was elected as a councillor for Cambridge City Council. He became Mayor of Cambridge in 1992. At that time, he was the youngest mayor in the city's 800-year history. He left the council in 1994. Before becoming an MP, he worked in shipping insurance and helped resolve disputes.
Working in Parliament
As a Government Minister
Barry Gardiner became an MP for Brent North in 1997. He won against the existing Conservative MP. After being elected, he moved from Cambridge to Hertfordshire. He gave his first speech in Parliament on 4 July 1997.
He worked on several important committees in Parliament. These included committees for broadcasting and public accounts. He also chaired the Labour Friends of India. In 2002, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). This role involves helping a government minister.
From 2004 to 2007, he served as a junior minister. He worked in the Northern Ireland Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2007, he left the government to become a PPS again.
In 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked him to be a special representative for forestry. He left this role in 2008. This happened after he suggested that another MP should challenge Gordon Brown for leadership.
Regarding his expenses, Barry Gardiner repaid some money in 2009. This was for mortgage interest that had been overpaid. He voluntarily repaid a larger amount to ensure everything was correct.
In Opposition
Early Years in Opposition
Barry Gardiner was re-elected in 2010. He won with a large number of votes. A newspaper described him as one of the best-educated MPs. He supported David Miliband in the Labour Party leadership election in 2010.
From 2011 to 2013, he was a special envoy for Environment and Climate Change. In 2013, he worked with a Conservative MP to suggest a target for reducing carbon emissions. This target was for the UK's electricity sector by 2030. However, the suggestion was not approved.
In July 2013, he became the Shadow Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries. In this role, he spoke about issues like the horse meat scandal. He highlighted concerns about falsely labeled food products. He also supported events to protect raptors (birds of prey). In 2015, he admitted that encouraging diesel cars in the past was a mistake. This was because it caused problems for public health.
Shadow Cabinet Role
When Jeremy Corbyn became the leader of the Labour Party in 2015, Barry Gardiner became the Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change. In 2016, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Later, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and Shadow Minister for International Climate Change.
He supported the building of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. He believed it was important for energy. He also spoke out about a trade dispute between Boeing and Bombardier Aerospace. He argued that all aircraft makers receive government support. He said that Boeing was trying to stop a competitor.
In 2018, he spoke about the relationship with Saudi Arabia. He suggested that the UK should stop selling weapons to the country. This was due to concerns about human rights.
In January 2020, Barry Gardiner received a special award from India called the Padma Shri. This was for his work in public affairs. He supported Rebecca Long-Bailey in the Labour Party leadership election in 2020. After Keir Starmer won, he left the Shadow Cabinet in April 2020.
Back to the Backbenches
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Barry Gardiner joined Black Lives Matter protests in London. He followed safety guidelines and tested negative for the virus.
As a regular MP, he started working with other parties. His goal was to create a law against "fire-and-rehire" practices by employers. This is when companies fire employees and then rehire them on worse terms. He also helped a Conservative MP, Christian Wakeford, join the Labour Party in 2022.
Donations for Office Work
From 2009 to 2017, Barry Gardiner's office received donations from a law firm called Christine Lee & Co. These donations helped pay for researchers and staff in his parliamentary office. One of the people hired was the son of the firm's founder. Barry Gardiner stated that this person was hired fairly.
In January 2022, the UK's security service, MI5, said that the firm's founder was involved in activities to influence politics in the UK. Barry Gardiner confirmed that the money he received was used for researchers. He also stated that the firm had no influence over who was hired or how they worked. There was no suggestion that Barry Gardiner himself acted improperly.
Personal Life
Barry Gardiner is married to Caroline Anne Smith. She has worked as an office manager and executive secretary for him. They have four children. One of their children, Jacob Gardiner-Smith, is a footballer. After 2017, new rules stopped MPs from employing family members. However, these rules did not apply to existing MPs.
Honours and Awards
- 2020: Padma Shri of
India 
