Kate Osamor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Osamor
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Shadow Secretary of State for International Development | |
| In office 27 June 2016 – 1 December 2018 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Diane Abbott |
| Succeeded by | Dan Carden |
| Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities | |
| In office 14 January 2016 – 27 June 2016 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Carolyn Harris |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 12 September 2015 – 14 January 2016 Serving with Steve Rotheram
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Karen Buck Wayne David |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of Parliament for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill Edmonton (2015–2024) |
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| Assumed office 7 May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Andy Love |
| Majority | 12,632 (30.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ofunne Kate Osamor
15 August 1968 London, England, UK |
| Political party | Labour Co-operative |
| Domestic partner | Kim Udi (separated) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent | Martha Osamor (mother) |
| Education | New City College University of East London (BA) |
Ofunne Kate Osamor (born 15 August 1968) is a British politician. She is a member of the Labour and Co-operative Party. Since 2015, she has been a Member of Parliament (MP). This means she is elected to represent a specific area, called a constituency, in the UK Parliament. Her constituency is currently Edmonton and Winchmore Hill. Before that, it was Edmonton. From 2016 to 2018, she was the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. This role involves looking at how the government helps other countries.
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Early Life and Education
Kate Osamor was born in North London on 15 August 1968. Her parents were from Nigeria. She grew up in Haringey with three siblings. Her father passed away when she was young. Her mother, Martha Osamor, worked very hard, sometimes holding three or four jobs.
Kate went to Fortismere School in Muswell Hill from 1979 to 1983. Later, she studied at Hackney College from 2003 to 2006. She then went to the University of East London, where she studied Third World Studies.
After finishing university, she worked for The Big Issue newspaper. Most of her career, however, was spent working in the NHS. The NHS is the UK's public healthcare system. She was also active in the Unite the Union, which is a large trade union. For nine years, Kate was an executive assistant in a doctor's office that provided care outside of normal hours. She also worked as a manager for a doctor's practice for two years.
Political Career Highlights
First Term as MP (2015-2017)
In the 2015 general election, Kate Osamor was elected as the MP for Edmonton. She won with 61.4% of the votes. This gave her a strong lead of 15,419 votes.
She was one of 36 Labour MPs who supported Jeremy Corbyn to become the leader of the Labour Party in 2015. In September 2015, she became a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Jeremy Corbyn. This is a role that helps a senior politician.
In January 2016, Kate Osamor joined the Opposition frontbench. This means she became a spokesperson for the Labour Party on certain issues. She was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities.
Later, in June 2016, she was given a bigger role. She became the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. This job involved looking at how the UK helps other countries around the world. Since 2015, she has also led the All Party Parliamentary Group for Nigeria. This group focuses on relations between the UK and Nigeria.
Second Term as MP (2017-2019)
In the 2017 general election, Kate Osamor was re-elected as the MP for Edmonton. She received even more votes this time, with 71.5% of the vote. Her lead also grew to 21,115 votes.
After her re-election, some people noticed that parts of her victory speech sounded like Barack Obama's 2008 speech. Kate Osamor explained that she had "deliberately invoked" a very famous speech. She thought it was so well-known that it did not need an introduction.
As the Shadow International Development Secretary, she spoke about increasing aid for women's groups in December 2018. She also argued that international aid should help reduce inequality and poverty.
On 29 August 2019, she spoke about the monarchy. This was after Queen Elizabeth II approved Boris Johnson's plan to temporarily stop Parliament from meeting.
Kate Osamor left the Shadow Cabinet on 1 December 2018. Her son, Ishmael, continues to work in her parliamentary office.
Third Term as MP (2019-2024)
In October 2019, local members of her party voted for her to face a re-selection contest. This meant she would have to compete to be the candidate for the next general election. However, the contest was cancelled when the 2019 general election was called. In that election, Kate Osamor was re-elected again. She won with 65% of the vote and a lead of 16,015 votes.
On 28 January 2024, the Labour Party temporarily removed her from their parliamentary group. This happened while they investigated comments she made about Holocaust Memorial Day. She had written that it was important to remember the victims of the Holocaust. She also mentioned other genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Bosnia. On 8 May 2024, she was allowed to rejoin the Labour Party's parliamentary group.
Fourth Term as MP (2024-)
Due to changes in constituency boundaries, Kate Osamor's Edmonton constituency was replaced. It became Edmonton and Winchmore Hill. In the 2024 general election, she was elected as the MP for this new constituency. She won with 50% of the vote and a lead of 12,632 votes.
Personal Life
Kate Osamor has one son, Ishmael Osamor, who was born in 1989. Ishmael used to be a Councillor and Cabinet Member on Haringey Council. He resigned from his position at Haringey Council in 2018.
Her mother, Martha, is also a Labour activist and politician. She served as a Councillor and Deputy Leader of Haringey Council. In 2018, she was appointed to the House of Lords.
