Emily Thornberry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emily Thornberry
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 11 September 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Alicia Kearns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury |
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| Assumed office 5 May 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 15,455 (36.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Emily Anne Thornberry
27 July 1960 Guildford, Surrey, England |
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| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Christopher Nugee
(m. 1991) |
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| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | University of Kent (LLB) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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Dame Emily Anne Thornberry (born 27 July 1960) is a British politician. She is a member of the Labour Party. Since 2005, she has been a Member of Parliament (MP). She represents the area of Islington South and Finsbury in London.
Emily Thornberry has held several important roles in the Labour Party. These include being the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales and the Shadow Foreign Secretary. A "Shadow" role means she was the main spokesperson for her party on that topic. She is currently the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. This committee looks closely at how the government handles international relations.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Emily Thornberry was born in Guildford, Surrey, on 27 July 1960. Her mother, Sallie Thornberry, was a teacher. Her father, Cedric Thornberry, was a professor of international law. He also worked for the United Nations.
When Emily was seven, her parents divorced. She lived with her mother and two brothers. They faced financial difficulties during this time. Later, her mother became a Labour councillor and mayor in Guildford.
Emily attended a secondary modern school. This was because she did not pass the eleven-plus exam. At 15, she moved to live with her father. When she was 17, her father left to work for the United Nations. Emily then worked as a cleaner and barmaid. She also studied for her O-Levels and A-Levels.
She went on to study law at the University of Kent in Canterbury. After graduating in 1982, she worked as a human rights lawyer. She was a barrister from 1985 to 2005. During this time, she focused on human rights cases.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Emily Thornberry first tried to become an MP in 2001. She stood for Labour in Canterbury but did not win.
First Term as MP (2005–2010)
In 2005, Emily Thornberry was chosen as the Labour candidate for Islington South and Finsbury. She was elected as an MP in the 2005 United Kingdom general election. She won with a small majority of 484 votes.
As an MP, she joined committees that looked at environmental issues and local government. She was interested in health, housing, and the environment. She also worked on equality issues. Emily Thornberry campaigned for more affordable housing in her area. She also worked with groups like Friends of the Earth for a Climate Change Bill. In 2006, she won an award for being an "Environment Champion."
In 2009, she became a helper to a government minister. She worked in the Department of Energy and Climate Change. She attended an important climate meeting in Copenhagen.
Second Term as MP (2010–2015)
Emily Thornberry was re-elected as MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 2010. Her majority increased to 3,569 votes.
After the election, she became a "Shadow Minister" for Energy and Climate Change. This meant she spoke for the Labour Party on these topics. She then became the shadow care minister. In this role, she spoke about the challenges facing care for older people. She also raised concerns about failing care homes.
In 2011, she became the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales. This role allowed her to attend important meetings with other senior Labour politicians.
In November 2014, Emily Thornberry resigned from her shadow cabinet position. This happened after she posted a controversial tweet. The tweet showed a house with England flags and a white van. Some people felt the tweet was disrespectful. Many, including her own party leader, criticised her for it.
Third Term as MP (2015–2017)
Emily Thornberry was re-elected in the 2015 United Kingdom general election. Her majority grew significantly to 12,708 votes.
She supported Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership election in 2015. After he became leader, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment.
In January 2016, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence. In this role, she discussed how money should be spent on the army. She also talked about the UK's nuclear weapons program.
In June 2016, she was promoted to Shadow Foreign Secretary. This meant she was the main Labour spokesperson on international affairs. She also briefly held the role of Shadow Brexit Secretary.
Fourth Term as MP (2017–2019)
In the 2017 United Kingdom general election, Emily Thornberry was re-elected again. Her majority increased even more, to 20,263 votes.
After this election, she was given an extra role. She became Shadow First Secretary of State. This meant she was effectively the second most important person in Jeremy Corbyn's team.
She spoke about international events during this time. For example, she commented on the situation in Syria. She also criticised the government's response to the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Fifth Term as MP (2019–2024)
Emily Thornberry was re-elected in the 2019 United Kingdom general election. Her majority decreased slightly to 17,328 votes.
After Jeremy Corbyn stepped down as leader, Emily Thornberry announced she would run for the leadership. However, she did not get enough support from local Labour groups to continue in the race.
In April 2020, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade. This role involved speaking for Labour on trade deals. In November 2021, she was again appointed Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales.
Sixth Term as MP (2024–Present)
In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Emily Thornberry was re-elected. Her majority was 15,455 votes.
After the election, the Labour Party formed the government. Emily Thornberry was not given a ministerial job in the new government. However, she was elected as the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 11 September 2024. This is an important role where she leads a group of MPs who examine foreign policy.
Key Campaigns and Interests
Affordable Housing
Emily Thornberry's constituency, Islington, has very high house prices. She has often campaigned for more affordable housing. She supports measures to help people find homes they can afford. She has also spoken out against homes being bought by investors and left empty.
She has argued for more control over private rents. She also wants more support for building social housing. She has clashed with the former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, over housing plans. She believed his definition of "affordable" housing was not fair.
Statue for Emily Davison
In 2013, Emily Thornberry campaigned for a statue of Emily Davison in Parliament. Emily Davison was a suffragette. Suffragettes fought for women's right to vote. 2013 was 100 years after Davison's death. Thornberry wanted to honour Davison's fight for equality. She noted there were very few statues of women politicians in Parliament.
Equal Pay for All
In March 2015, Emily Thornberry launched a campaign for a new Equal Pay Act. She highlighted that women still earned less than men on average. This was despite the original Equal Pay Act 1970 being passed many years ago. She believes everyone should be paid fairly for the same work.
Personal Life
Emily Thornberry has lived in Islington since the early 1990s. In July 1991, she married Christopher Nugee. They have two sons and one daughter. Christopher Nugee is a very respected judge. He is now a Lord Justice of Appeal.
Emily Thornberry was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours. This honour was given for her political and public service.
Images for kids
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Emily Thornberry's signature
