Bell Ribeiro-Addy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Shadow Minister for Immigration | |
| In office 24 January 2020 – 9 April 2020 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Afzal Khan |
| Succeeded by | Holly Lynch |
| Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill Streatham (2019–2024) |
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| Assumed office 12 December 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Chuka Umunna |
| Majority | 18,005 (42.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy
1 March 1985 Streatham, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations |
Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present) |
| Education | Streatham and Clapham High School |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford (BSc) Queen Mary University of London (MA) BPP Law School (GDL) |
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy, born on March 1, 1985, is a British politician. She is a Labour Party member. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2019. She currently represents the area of Clapham and Brixton Hill. Before that, she was the MP for Streatham. In 2020, she briefly served as a Shadow Minister for Immigration. She also leads a group called the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations.
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Early Life and Education
Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy was born in Streatham, south London, on March 1, 1985. She grew up in a working-class family. Her family lived on a council estate in Brixton Hill. She has Ghanaian heritage.
School and University
She attended Streatham and Clapham High School, which is a private school, on a scholarship. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She studied Biomedical Science with Ethics & Philosophy of Science at the University of Bradford. Later, in 2007, she completed a Master of Arts degree. This was in Medical Law & Ethics at Queen Mary University of London. In 2015, she also earned a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP Law School.
Student Activism
From 2008 to 2010, Ribeiro-Addy was the National Black Students' Officer. This role was for the National Union of Students (NUS). She also helped lead the Student Assembly Against Racism. She was a national leader for the NUS's Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism campaign. She has always called herself a "life-long socialist." Before becoming an MP, she worked for Diane Abbott, another Labour politician, from 2016 to 2019.
Parliamentary Career
In the 2019 general election, Bell Ribeiro-Addy was elected as the MP for Streatham. She won with 54.8% of the votes. This gave her a majority of 17,690 votes.
First Speeches and Roles
In her first speech as an MP, she talked about reparations. These are ways to make up for past wrongs, like colonialism. She also spoke about unfair treatment faced by black people in Britain. In an early interview, she said it was her duty to ensure freedom for all people. She called for an end to discrimination against gay people in Ghana.
In January 2020, Ribeiro-Addy was given a new role. She became the Shadow Minister for Immigration. This happened just weeks after she was elected. However, she did not keep this role when Sir Keir Starmer became the new Labour leader.
Standing Up for Others
In February 2020, she spoke out about how the media treated black female MPs. She pointed out mistakes by BBC Parliament and other news outlets. They had mixed up photos of black female Labour MPs like Marsha de Cordova and Dawn Butler.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, Ribeiro-Addy asked the government to release people. These were people held in immigration detention centers. She believed it was important for their safety during the pandemic.
She supported a "Zero-COVID" plan to fight the pandemic. In June 2021, she wrote an article supporting delaying the end of lockdown. She also said that relying only on vaccines was not enough. She wanted restrictions to continue until case numbers were very low. In December 2021, she voted against vaccine passports. She also voted against making vaccination mandatory for NHS staff.
Promoting Black History
Ribeiro-Addy has called for better black history education in schools. In October 2021, she said that people in the UK do not learn enough about their own civil rights struggles. Her first black relative born in the UK was Thomas Birch Freeman, in 1809.
Recent Work in Parliament
On February 24, 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ribeiro-Addy was one of 11 Labour MPs. They were told they might lose their party support. This was because they signed a statement from the Stop the War Coalition. This statement questioned NATO and accused it of expanding too much. All 11 MPs later removed their signatures.
From 2019 to 2024, she led the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations. In August 2023, Ribeiro-Addy argued for changes to a law from 1963. This law stops items like the Benin Bronzes and the Elgin Marbles from being returned. These items are currently in the British Museum. She believes they should go back to their home countries.
Due to changes in UK Parliament areas, her Streatham constituency was replaced. It became Clapham and Brixton Hill. In the 2024 general election, Ribeiro-Addy was elected as the MP for this new area. She won with 56.5% of the vote. Her majority was 18,005 votes.
Personal Life
Bell Ribeiro-Addy served as a school governor at Saint Gabriel's College, Camberwell. She held this role from 2018 to 2022. She is also a Christian.
