Dawn Butler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dawn Butler MP
Official portrait, 2020
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
In office 3 November 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Tom Watson
Succeeded by	Caroline Nokes
Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement
In office 30 October 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Shadow portfolios 2016‍–‍2020 Shadow Secretary of State 2017–2020 Women and Equalities Shadow Minister 2016–2017 Black and Minority Ethnic Communities
Member of Parliament for Brent East Brent Central (2015–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2015
Preceded by	Sarah Teather
Majority	13,047 (34.5%)
Member of Parliament for Brent South
In office 5 May 2005 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Paul Boateng
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Dawn Petula Butler (1969-11-03) 3 November 1969 (age 55) Forest Gate, London, England
Political party	Labour
Other political affiliations	Socialist Campaign Group

Dawn Petula Butler (born 3 November 1969) is a British politician from the Labour Party. She is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East. Before this, she was an MP for Brent Central (from 2015 to 2024) and Brent South (from 2005 to 2010).

Dawn Butler was born in London to parents from Jamaica. Before becoming an MP, she worked for a trade union and advised the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. She was first elected as an MP in 2005 for Brent South. She served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government from 2009 to 2010. She was a Parliamentary Secretary and a Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement.

After her first time in Parliament, she returned as an MP in 2015 for Brent Central. She became a close supporter of Jeremy Corbyn when he was the leader of the Labour Party. In 2016, she was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. She later became the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities in 2017. In 2020, she ran for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party but did not win. After Keir Starmer became the new Labour leader, she returned to being a regular MP.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Dawn Butler was born in Forest Gate in East London. Her parents, Milo and Ambrozene Butler, were immigrants from Jamaica. She has one sister and four brothers. She went to Tom Hood School and Waltham Forest College in London.

Before becoming an MP, she worked for the GMB Union. This is a large trade union that helps workers. She was also an adviser to the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. She helped him with issues related to jobs and social matters.

Parliamentary Journey

First Time as an MP (2005–2010)

Dawn Butler first became an MP in 2005 for the Brent South area. She won the election with a large number of votes. She was the third Black woman to become a British MP. The first two were Diane Abbott and Oona King.

She was very interested in helping young people. In 2006, she became the head of a group in Parliament that focused on youth issues. She also became an honorary vice president of the British Youth Council. In 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, she was given a special role. She became one of the Labour Party's vice chairs, specifically for youth issues.

In 2009, Dawn Butler was named "Female MP of the Year." In December 2009, she made history. She became the first Black woman to speak from the main front bench in the House of Commons. This is a very important place where government ministers speak.

Changes to Her Constituency

Before the 2010 election, the area she represented, Brent South, was changed. It was divided into new areas, including Brent Central. Dawn Butler ran for the new Brent Central seat but lost the election.

During her time outside Parliament, she worked on creating learning programs for different companies.

Second Time as an MP (2015–Present)

In 2013, Dawn Butler was chosen again to be the Labour candidate for Brent Central. In the 2015 general election, she won the seat. She returned to Parliament with a big majority of votes.

Supporting Jeremy Corbyn

In 2015, Dawn Butler supported Andy Burnham for the Labour Party leadership. However, she also helped Jeremy Corbyn get enough nominations to be on the ballot. After Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected as leader in 2016, she was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. This role meant she spoke for the Labour Party on issues affecting these communities.

Resigning and Returning to the Frontbench

In February 2017, Dawn Butler resigned from her role. This was because she voted against a law that would start the process of leaving the European Union. Her party had asked MPs to vote in favour of it.

In March 2017, she used British Sign Language in Parliament. She asked a question about making this language legally recognized. She was reappointed as Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in June 2017. She also helped start a new group in Parliament called the Parliamentary Black Caucus. This group focuses on issues affecting ethnic minority communities.

Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary

In August 2017, Dawn Butler was promoted to a more senior role. She became the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities. This meant she was the main spokesperson for the Labour Party on issues related to women's rights and equality.

In September 2018, her role was upgraded. It was announced that under a Labour government, Women and Equalities would become a full government department. This showed the importance of her work.

2020 Deputy Leadership Election

Butler speaking at the deputy leadership hustings in Bristol

Dawn Butler was re-elected as an MP in the 2019 general election. She was the first person to announce she would run for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 2020. She was known as a close supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. She came in last place in the election.

Returning to Being a Regular MP

After Keir Starmer became the new leader of the Labour Party, Dawn Butler was not given a role in his new team of spokespeople. She returned to being a "backbencher." This means she is a regular MP who does not hold a leadership position in the party.

In July 2020, she had to close her local office. This was due to rising costs and increasing threats she and her staff received. These threats increased after she wrote an article supporting Black Lives Matter protests.

In August 2020, she spoke out about police actions. She said that the police stopped a car she was in because they thought it was registered somewhere else. She felt this showed a problem with how police sometimes treat people from different backgrounds. The police officers involved later apologized for their mistake.

In 2024, she ran for the new Brent East constituency and was re-elected.

Personal Life

In December 2021, Dawn Butler was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery to treat it.