Heidi Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heidi Alexander
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Secretary of State for Transport | |
| Assumed office 29 November 2024 |
|
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Louise Haigh |
| Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services | |
| In office 8 July 2024 – 29 November 2024 |
|
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Mike Freer |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Sackman |
| Member of Parliament for Swindon South |
|
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert Buckland |
| Majority | 9,606 (21.5%) |
| Member of Parliament for Lewisham East |
|
| In office 6 May 2010 – 9 May 2018 |
|
| Preceded by | Bridget Prentice |
| Succeeded by | Janet Daby |
| Deputy Mayor of London for Transport | |
| In office 21 May 2018 – 31 December 2021 |
|
| Mayor | Sadiq Khan |
| Preceded by | Val Shawcross |
| Succeeded by | Seb Dance |
| Member of Lewisham Council for Evelyn |
|
| In office 10 June 2004 – 6 May 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Alicia Chater |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 April 1975 Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Durham University (BA, MA) |
Heidi Alexander (born 17 April 1975) is a British politician. She is currently the Secretary of State for Transport, a big job in the government, since November 2024. She is a member of the Labour Party.
Heidi Alexander has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Swindon South since 2024. An MP is someone elected to represent a local area in the UK Parliament. Before this, she was the MP for Lewisham East from 2010 to 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Heidi Alexander was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Her father, Malcolm, was an electrician. She went to Churchfields Comprehensive School and New College Sixth Form.
She then studied at Grey College, Durham, a part of Durham University. There, she earned a degree (BA) in geography and a master's degree (MA) in European Urban and Regional Change.
After university, Alexander worked for a short time at 10 Downing Street, which is where the Prime Minister lives. She also worked as a researcher for an MP named Joan Ruddock. Later, she was a campaign manager for a charity called Clothes Aid, which helps people by collecting and selling clothes.
Political Career
Heidi Alexander has held several important roles in politics, both locally and nationally.
Local Government Work
Heidi Alexander started her political career in local government. She was elected to the Lewisham London Borough Council for the area of Evelyn in 2004. She served on the council until 2010.
From 2006 to 2010, she was the Deputy Mayor of Lewisham. In this role, she helped with projects to improve and rebuild parts of the local area.
Working in Parliament
In 2009, Heidi Alexander was chosen to be the Labour candidate for Lewisham East. She was then elected as the MP for that area in the 2010 general election.
After becoming an MP, she took on various roles:
- Parliamentary Private Secretary: She worked as an assistant to Mary Creagh, who was the Labour Party's main spokesperson for environment issues.
- Opposition Whip: From 2012, she helped make sure Labour MPs voted together on important issues.
- Shadow Minister: In 2013, she became the Deputy Shadow Minister for London. This meant she was a spokesperson for London issues for the opposition party.
In September 2015, after Jeremy Corbyn became the leader of the Labour Party, Heidi Alexander was given a very important job. She became the Shadow Secretary of State for Health. This meant she was the main spokesperson for health issues for the Labour Party, challenging the government's health policies.
In June 2016, Heidi Alexander resigned from her role as Shadow Health Secretary. She felt that the Labour Party leadership was not working well, especially after the public vote on leaving the European Union.
Deputy Mayor of London for Transport
In May 2018, Heidi Alexander left her job as an MP. She took on a new role as the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport under Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London. In this job, she helped manage all the different ways people travel around London.
During her time as Deputy Mayor, she faced big challenges. She helped keep London's transport running during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also worked to fix delays with major projects like the Crossrail train line and the re-opening of Hammersmith Bridge. She left this role at the end of 2021.
Return to Parliament
In 2022, Heidi Alexander decided to return to national politics. She was chosen to be the Labour candidate for Swindon South. She won this seat in the 2024 general election, becoming an MP again.
After the election, she was appointed as a Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services. This role involved working in the Ministry of Justice.
Becoming Transport Secretary
In November 2024, Heidi Alexander was given a promotion to a very senior position in the government. She became the Secretary of State for Transport. This means she is now in charge of all transport policies across the UK. She replaced Louise Haigh in this role.
As part of this appointment, she joined the Privy Council. This gives her the special title of The Right Honourable for life.
Political Views
Heidi Alexander has supported different leaders within the Labour Party over the years. She also led Sadiq Khan's campaign when he ran to become the Mayor of London in 2016.
She has strong views on the European Union. She was against triggering Article 50, which started the process of the UK leaving the EU. She also helped create a group called the Labour Campaign for the Single Market, which supported keeping close ties with the EU.
Personal Life
Heidi Alexander married Martin Ballantyne in 2011.
