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 (/oʊˈsæmɔːr/; born 15 August 1968) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, previously Edmonton, since 2015. She was Shadow Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2018. She is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus.
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Early life and career
Ofunne Kate Osamor was born to Nigerian parents on 15 August 1968 in North London and grew up in Haringey. One of four children, her father died when she was a child and her mother, Martha Osamor (née Oburotha), had to work "three, sometimes four jobs."
Osamor was educated at Fortismere School, Muswell Hill from 1979 to 1983. She completed an access course at Hackney College from 2003 to 2006, and subsequently read Third World Studies at the University of East London.
She worked for The Big Issue newspaper after graduating, but has principally worked in the NHS and been active in Unite the Union. Osamor was an executive assistant in a general practitioner (GP) out of hours service for 9 years and a GP practice manager for 2 years.
Political career
1st parliament (2015-2017)
At the 2015 general election, Osamor was elected to Parliament as MP for Edmonton with 61.4% of the vote and a majority of 15,419.
Osamor was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015. She was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Corbyn in September 2015.
On 14 January 2016, Osamor was appointed to the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities.
Also in January 2016, Osamor was accused of hypocrisy for advertising an unpaid internship which paid expenses only. Osamor subsequently withdrew the advert, claiming it had been a "misunderstanding".
On 27 June 2016, after the resignations of numerous members of Labour's ministerial team due to disquiet over the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Osamor was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.
Osamor has served as the chair for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Nigeria since 2015.
2nd term (2017-2019)
At the snap 2017 general election, Osamor was re-elected as MP for Edmonton with an increased vote share of 71.5% and an increased majority of 21,115. After her re-election, she was accused of plagiarising sections of her victory address from Barack Obama's 2008 speech. According to Osamor, she "deliberately invoked a victory speech so famous that she thought it needed no introduction".
In her role as Shadow International Development Secretary, Osamor in December 2018 advocated an increase in aid funding for women's groups, and argued that international aid should be targeted towards schemes which aimed to reduce inequality, as well as schemes aimed at poverty reduction.
On 29 August 2019, she warned that the monarchy could be abolished, following Queen Elizabeth II approving Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament.
Osamor resigned from the Shadow Cabinet on 1 December 2018.
Ishmael remains Chief of Staff in his mother’s parliamentary office.
3rd term (2019-2024)
In October 2019, local party members voted for Osamor to face a re-selection contest to stand at the next general election. However, the contest was scrapped when the 2019 general election was called. At the general election, Osamor was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 65% and a decreased majority of 16,015.
On 28 January 2024, Osamor had the Labour Party parliamentary whip withdrawn pending an investigation into comments she made about Holocaust Memorial Day in her weekly newsletter. She wrote that there was an "international duty" to remember the victims of the Holocaust and that "more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza" should also be remembered. On 8 May 2024, the Labour whip was restored to her.
4th term (2024-)
Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Osamor's constituency of Edmonton was abolished, and replaced with Edmonton and Winchmore Hill. At the 2024 general election, Osamor was elected to Parliament as MP for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill with 50% of the vote and a majority of 12,632.
Personal life
She had a son in 1989, Ishmael Osamor (born Ishmael Udi), with her then partner Kim Udi. Ishmael served as a Councillor and Cabinet Member on Haringey Council. He resigned from his position at Haringey Council after his criminal conviction in 2018.
Her mother, Martha, is a Labour activist and politician who served as a Councillor and Deputy Leader of Haringey Council. She was appointed to the House of Lords in 2018, on the recommendation of Jeremy Corbyn.
