Junior ministerial offices

Minister for Women and Equality
In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ruth Kelly
Succeeded by	Theresa May
In office 3 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	The Baroness Jay of Paddington
Minister of State for Justice
In office 10 May 2005 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Michael Wills
Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office 11 June 2001 – 10 May 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ross Cranston
Succeeded by	Mike O'Brien

Further offices held

Shadow cabinet portfolios
2010-2015	Deputy Prime Minister
2011–2015	Culture, Media and Sport
2007–2015	Party Chair
2010–2011	International Development
1996–1997	Social Security
1995–1996	Health
1994–1995	Employment
1992–1994	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Committee chairmanships
2022–2024	Commons Privileges
2023–2024	Commons Standards
2015–2024	Joint Human Rights

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

Incumbent

Assumed office
19 August 2024
Life peerage

Member of Parliament
for Camberwell and Peckham

In office
28 October 1982 – 30 May 2024

Preceded by

Harry Lamborn

Succeeded by

Miatta Fahnbulleh

Personal details

Born

Harriet Ruth Harman

30 July 1950 (age 74)
Marylebone, London, England

Political party

Labour

Spouse

Jack Dromey

(m. 1982; died 2022)

Children

Parents

John B. Harman
Anna Spicer

Relatives

See list

Joseph Chamberlain (great-granduncle)

Richard Chamberlain (great-granduncle)

Beatrice Chamberlain (first cousin twice removed)

Austen Chamberlain (first cousin twice removed)

Neville Chamberlain (first cousin twice removed)

Ida Chamberlain (first cousin twice removed)

Hilda Chamberlain (first cousin twice removed)

Residences

Herne Hill, London, England
Suffolk, England

Alma mater

Goodricke College, York

Signature

Harriet Ruth Harman, Baroness Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham for many years. She also held important roles in the Labour Party.

Harriet Harman served as the Deputy Leader from 2007 to 2015. She was also the Leader of the House of Commons from 2007 to 2010. She briefly became the Leader of the Opposition in 2010 and 2015. This happened after the leaders of her party, Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband, resigned. In 2024, she was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer.

Harman was born in London. She studied politics at the University of York. Before becoming an MP, she worked as a legal officer. She was elected as an MP in 1982.

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Working in Opposition
Labour in Government
Return to Opposition Leadership
Life in the House of Lords
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Harriet Ruth Harman was born in London on July 30, 1950. Her father, John Bishop Harman, was a doctor. Her mother, Anna Spicer, was a lawyer.

Harman attended St Paul's Girls' School, a private school. She then went to the University of York. There, she earned a degree in Politics.

After university, Harman became a solicitor. She worked at a Law Centre in London. From 1978 to 1982, she was a legal officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1982, the MP for Peckham, Harry Lamborn, passed away. A special election, called a by-election, was held. Harriet Harman was elected as the new MP for Peckham. She won with 11,349 votes.

Working in Opposition

After becoming an MP, Harman took on various roles in the Labour Party. These roles were part of the "Shadow Cabinet." The Shadow Cabinet is a group of opposition MPs who watch over government departments.

In 1984, she became a Shadow Social Services minister. In 1987, she was a Shadow Health minister. She later served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. She also held shadow roles for Employment, Health, and Social Security.

Labour in Government

Under Prime Minister Tony Blair

In 1997, the Labour Party won the general election. Tony Blair became Prime Minister. Harriet Harman was appointed Secretary of State for Social Security. She also became the first-ever Minister for Women.

Her job was to reform the welfare system. She introduced policies like a minimum income guarantee. She also brought in Winter Fuel Payments for older people. She left the Cabinet in 1998.

In 2001, Harman returned to a government role. She became the Solicitor General for England and Wales. This made her the first woman to hold this position. After the 2005 election, she became a Minister of State for Constitutional Affairs.

Becoming Deputy Leader

In 2007, John Prescott stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Harriet Harman decided to run for the position. She won the election on June 24, 2007. It was a very close contest.

Under Prime Minister Gordon Brown

After becoming Deputy Leader, Harman joined Gordon Brown's Cabinet. Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007. Harman was appointed Leader of the House of Commons. She also became Lord Privy Seal and Minister for Women and Equality. She was also the Chairman of the Labour Party.

Harman sometimes stood in for the Prime Minister during Prime Minister's Questions. This made her the first female Labour Minister to do so. She did this when Gordon Brown was away.

In 2008, her blog was hacked. She later found out that a future Conservative MP, Kemi Badenoch, was responsible. Badenoch apologized, and Harman accepted.

Focus on Equality

Harman was a strong supporter of equality. She worked on an Equality Bill. This bill aimed to change discrimination laws. It sought to end age discrimination and promote fairness.

She also supported ideas to increase the number of women and minority MPs. She believed that women should always hold one of Labour's top two leadership roles. She famously said that if Lehman Brothers had been 'Lehman Sisters', the financial crisis might have been avoided.

Return to Opposition Leadership

After the 2010 Election

In 2010, the Labour Party lost the general election. Gordon Brown resigned as party leader. As Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman automatically became the temporary leader of the Labour Party. She also became the Leader of the Opposition.

She decided not to run for the permanent leadership. She nominated Diane Abbott to ensure there was a female candidate. After Ed Miliband was elected leader, Harman returned to her role as Deputy Leader. She became the Shadow Deputy Prime Minister.

She also served as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development and later as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Harman in 2017

After the 2015 Election

In the 2015 general election, Labour again lost. Ed Miliband resigned as leader. Harriet Harman once more became the acting leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition. She announced she would step down once a new leader was chosen.

She then became Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in October 2015. In 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called her the "Mother of the House". This was because Harman was the longest-serving female MP in the House of Commons.

In 2019, Harman ran to become the Speaker of the House of Commons. She withdrew from the race after the second round of voting. In December 2021, she announced she would not stand as an MP in the 2024 general election.

Investigation into Boris Johnson

Harman chaired the Privileges Committee in the House of Commons. This committee investigated whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled Parliament. The investigation looked into statements Johnson made about events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Committee published its report on June 15, 2023. They concluded that Johnson had deliberately misled the House. They recommended a long suspension if he were still an MP. The House of Commons voted to support the report on June 19, 2023.

Life in the House of Lords

After stepping down as an MP, Harriet Harman was nominated for a life peerage. On August 19, 2024, she became Baroness Harman, of Peckham. This means she now sits in the House of Lords.

In 2025, she was appointed as the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls.

Personal Life

Harriet Harman married Jack Dromey in 1982. They had three children: Harry, Joseph, and Amy. Jack Dromey passed away in January 2022.

Harman is a strong believer in feminism. She has said she is in the Labour Party because she believes in equality. In 2017, she published a book called A Woman's Work.

Since 2024, Harman has co-presented a podcast called "Electoral Dysfunction." She hosts it with Ruth Davidson and Beth Rigby.

Images for kids

Harman in 2007

Harriet Harman facts for kids

Contents