Bridget Phillipson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bridget Phillipson
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Secretary of State for Education | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Gillian Keegan |
| Minister for Women and Equalities | |
| Assumed office 8 July 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Kemi Badenoch |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Education | |
| In office 29 November 2021 – 5 July 2024 |
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| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Kate Green |
| Succeeded by | Damian Hinds |
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 6 April 2020 – 29 November 2021 |
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| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Peter Dowd |
| Succeeded by | Pat McFadden |
| Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South |
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| Assumed office 6 May 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 7,168 (17.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bridget Maeve Phillipson
19 December 1983 Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | St Robert of Newminster Catholic School |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
Bridget Maeve Phillipson (born 19 December 1983) is a British politician. She has been the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities since July 2024. She is a member of the Labour Party. Since 2010, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Houghton and Sunderland South.
Bridget Phillipson was born in Gateshead. She went to St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and then studied at the University of Oxford. Before becoming an MP, she worked in local government and for a charity called Wearside Women in Need. She joined the Labour Party when she was fifteen. In 2003, she became a co-chair of the Oxford University Labour Club.
She was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2010 general election. She has been re-elected several times since then. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, she supported staying in the European Union. In 2020, she supported Keir Starmer to become the leader of the Labour Party. After he won, she joined his team as the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Later, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Education. After the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Bridget Phillipson was appointed to her current roles in the government.
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Early Life and Education
Bridget Phillipson was born on 19 December 1983 in Gateshead, England. She grew up in Washington. Her mother founded Wearside Women in Need, a charity that helps women.
As a child, Bridget took drama lessons. She even appeared as an extra on the children's TV show Byker Grove. She also learned to play the violin. She attended St Robert of Newminster Catholic School. After school, she went to the University of Oxford. She studied modern history and French at Hertford College. She finished her studies in 2005.
After university, she returned to the North East of England. She worked in local government for two years. Then, from 2007 to 2010, she worked as a manager at Wearside Women in Need.
Parliamentary Career
Becoming an MP
In 2009, Bridget Phillipson was chosen to be the Labour candidate for Houghton and Sunderland South. She was selected from a special list of only women candidates. In the 2010 general election, she was elected as the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South. She won with 50.3% of the votes.
After becoming an MP, she worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary for Jim Murphy. He was the shadow defence secretary at the time. From October 2013 to September 2015, she worked as an Opposition Whip in the House of Commons. A whip helps make sure that members of their party vote in a certain way.
Working on Committees
Bridget Phillipson was a member of several important committees in Parliament. From July 2010 to November 2013, she was on the Home Affairs Committee. This committee looks at issues like policing and immigration. She also served on the Public Bill Committee for the Defence Reform Act 2014. She was a member of the Procedure Committee and the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission. Since October 2017, she has been on the Committee on Standards and the Committee on Privileges. She also worked on the Public Accounts Committee.
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Re-elections and Brexit
Bridget Phillipson was re-elected as MP for Houghton and Sunderland South in the 2015 general election. She won with even more votes this time.
In the 2016 Brexit referendum, she campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union. In 2018, she was one of the first Labour MPs to ask for another public vote on any deal with the EU.
She was re-elected again in the 2017 and 2019 general elections. In the 2024 general election, she was re-elected once more.
Working in Opposition (2020–2024)
After Keir Starmer became the leader of the Labour Party in April 2020, Bridget Phillipson joined his Shadow Cabinet. This is a team of MPs who challenge the government. She first became the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In this role, she worked on financial matters for the Labour Party.
On 29 November 2021, she was given a new role as Shadow Secretary of State for Education. In this job, she was in charge of developing Labour's education policies for England. She talked about plans to improve childcare and education. Some of her ideas included:
- Providing funded breakfast clubs for all primary school children.
- Changing Ofsted, which inspects schools, to give more helpful feedback.
- Adding VAT (a type of tax) to private school fees to fund more teachers in state schools.
- Reviewing the school curriculum and how students are assessed.
- Making sure all young people get two weeks of work experience.
- Improving career advice and mental health support in schools.
She also spoke about the importance of childcare for families. She said that a Labour government would not get rid of university tuition fees completely. She also wanted to make big changes to how skills are taught in England. This included creating a new group called 'Skills England'.
Secretary of State for Education (2024–present)
After the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Bridget Phillipson was appointed as the Secretary of State for Education. This happened on 5 July 2024. She was also appointed Minister for Women and Equalities on 8 July.
On 10 July 2024, she became a member of the Privy Council. This means she can use the title "The Right Honourable" for the rest of her life.
In October 2024, Bridget Phillipson made a post on social media that caused some discussion. She wrote about the plan to add VAT to private school fees. She said that state schools needed teachers and mental health support more than private schools needed fancy stationery or new pools. Some MPs criticized her post, saying it was "malicious" or "prejudiced."
Constituency Campaigns
Bridget Phillipson has worked on several local issues in her area. She successfully campaigned for the rebuilding of Hetton School in Hetton-le-Hole. The government had cancelled plans to rebuild it in 2010, but the school was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 2016.
She also led a campaign to make bus transport better and more affordable in Tyne and Wear. She wanted a new system to be run by Nexus, the local transport group. However, a government review board did not allow this plan to go ahead.
Civil Rights
As Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson stated in April 2025 that trans women should not use women's toilets. This statement was made after a UK Supreme Court ruling about the definition of "man" and "woman" in the Equality Act.
Personal Life
Bridget Phillipson met her husband in Newcastle upon Tyne after she finished university. They have two sons. She is a Roman Catholic. .....
