Karen Buck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame
Karen Buck
DBE
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 10 May 2005 – 16 March 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Charlotte Atkins |
| Succeeded by | Gillian Merron |
| Member of Parliament for Westminster North Regent's Park and Kensington North (1997–2010) |
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| In office 1 May 1997 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | John Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of Westminster City Council for Queen's Park |
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| In office 3 May 1990 – 16 October 1997 |
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| Succeeded by | Paul Dimoldenberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 August 1958 Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Barrie Taylor
(m. 2000; died 2024) |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics (BSc, MSc, MA) |
Dame Karen Patricia Buck (born August 30, 1958) is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for many years. An MP is someone elected to represent a specific area in the UK Parliament. Karen Buck was an MP for Westminster North. Before that, she represented Regent's Park and Kensington North. She was an MP from 1997 until 2024. She is a member of the Labour Party. Before becoming an MP, she was a member of the Westminster City Council from 1990 to 1997.
Early Life and Early Career
Karen Buck was born in Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. She went to Chelmsford County High School for Girls. Later, she studied at the London School of Economics. There, she earned degrees in Economics and Social Policy.
She joined the Labour Party in 1978. The next year, she worked for a charity called Outset. This charity helped disabled people. In 1983, she started working for Hackney London Borough Council. She worked there as a senior officer for disability and later for public health.
Karen Buck first tried to become a local councillor in 1982. She ran in Barnet but did not win. In 1986, she ran for a seat on Westminster City Council. She came close to winning but did not get elected that time.
She started working for the Labour Party in 1987. She helped with health research and campaign plans. In 1990, she was elected to Westminster City Council. She represented the Queen's Park area. While on the council, she helped to show problems with the council leader at the time. This was part of a big issue known as the "homes for votes scandal." She left the council after becoming an MP in 1997.
Parliamentary Career
Karen Buck was chosen to run for Parliament for the Labour Party. She was elected in the 1997 general election. This was a very big win for the Labour Party. She became the MP for Regent's Park and Kensington North. She gave her first speech in Parliament on June 17, 1997. She has been an MP ever since.
After being elected, she joined a special group in Parliament called the Social Security Select Committee. These committees look closely at how the government is doing its job. In 2005, she became a junior minister. She worked in the Department for Transport.
In the 2010 general election, she was elected MP for Westminster North. This was a new area for her to represent. She won by a small number of votes.
Karen Buck supported Ed Miliband when he ran to be the leader of the Labour Party in 2010. While he was leader, she worked as a Shadow Minister. This means she was part of the opposition team. She focused on welfare reform and further education. She also became a special assistant to Ed Miliband.
After the 2015 election, she joined the Work and Pensions Committee. This committee looks at issues like jobs and benefits. In 2017, she won her election again with many more votes. This showed that Westminster North was now a very strong area for the Labour Party.
In 2018, Karen Buck introduced a new law. This law was called the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act. It helps tenants if their landlord does not keep their home safe and healthy. This law was passed and became active in 2019. Many politicians from different parties supported it.
She was re-elected in the 2019 general election. In 2020, she supported Keir Starmer to become the new Labour Party leader. She then became a Shadow Minister for Social Security in July 2020. She held this role until September 2023.
In January 2024, Karen Buck announced she would not run for election again. She was given a special honor called Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Views and Interests
Karen Buck has spoken about important issues. In 2018, she worried that homeless people in London had to move far away. She said that losing a home is very hard. Moving far away from family, work, and school makes it even harder.
She has voted for a ban on hunting certain animals. She also voted for same-sex marriage. In 2007, she voted against replacing the UK's nuclear weapons program, called Trident. She used to be a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
While she was an MP, she was also a member of Greenpeace and Amnesty International. These are groups that work on environmental issues and human rights. She was also part of several trade unions. Trade unions are groups that support workers' rights.
Personal Life
Karen Buck is a Roman Catholic. In 2000, she married Barrie Taylor. They had a son together. Barrie Taylor also served on the Westminster City Council with her. He passed away in 2024.
