Layla Moran facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Layla Moran
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee | |
| Assumed office 9 September 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Steve Brine |
| Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon |
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| Assumed office 8 June 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Nicola Blackwood |
| Majority | 14,894 (32.4%) |
| Liberal Democrat portfolios | |
| 2023–2024 | Science, Innovation and Technology |
| 2020–2024 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs |
| 2019–2020 | Digital, Culture, Media and Sport |
| 2017–2020 | Education |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Layla Michelle Moran
12 September 1982 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Domestic partner | Rosy Cobb |
| Parent |
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| Residences | West Oxfordshire, England |
| Alma mater |
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Layla Michelle Moran (born 12 September 1982) is a British politician from the Liberal Democrat party. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon since 2017. Since September 2024, she has been the Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee.
Moran went to schools in Brussels and Kingston. She then studied physics at Imperial College London. She also earned a teaching qualification from Brunel University London. Later, she worked as a maths and physics teacher.
She tried to become an MP in 2010 and 2015 but was not elected. In 2017, she was chosen again for Oxford West and Abingdon. This time, she won and became an MP. She was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for education from 2017 to 2020. She also spoke for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, she ran to become the leader of the Liberal Democrats but lost. She then became the party's spokesperson for foreign affairs.
Moran is the first MP in the UK who is of Palestinian descent.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Layla Moran was born on 12 September 1982 in Hammersmith, London. Her father, James Moran, was a diplomat. Her mother, Randa Moran, is a Christian Palestinian from Jerusalem.
Her great-grandfather was a Palestinian writer named Wasif Jawhariyyeh. Moran says she is British-Palestinian. Because her father worked for the European Union, she lived in many countries. These included Belgium, Greece, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Jordan.
She attended private schools in Brussels and Kingston. She then went to Roedean School in Brighton. From 2000 to 2003, she studied physics at Imperial College London. She completed a teaching certificate at Brunel University London from 2005 to 2007. She also earned a master's degree in education from the Institute of Education (now UCL Institute of Education).
From 2003 to 2012, Moran taught maths and physics. She taught at the International School of Brussels and two schools in London. She also worked as a tutor for a company that helps students and teachers.
Political Career
Layla Moran first ran for Parliament in 2010 in Battersea. She came in third place. In 2012, she ran for the London Assembly in the West Central area. She finished fourth in that election.
Becoming an MP
In 2015, Moran ran for the Oxford West and Abingdon seat. She came second to the Conservative MP Nicola Blackwood. She ran for the same seat again in the 2017 general election. This time, she won with 43.7% of the votes. She became the first UK Member of Parliament of Palestinian descent. She was also the first female Liberal Democrat MP from an ethnic minority background.
Early Parliamentary Work
In June 2017, Moran became the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for education, science, and young people. In her first speech in Parliament, she asked for fairer funding for schools. She also spoke out against the closing of children's centres in Oxfordshire. Later in 2017, she joined the Public Accounts Committee. This committee checks how the government spends money.
In May 2019, Moran decided not to run for leader of the Liberal Democrats. She was re-elected as MP for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2019 general election. Her share of the vote increased to 53.3%.
Leadership Election and Later Roles
In March 2020, Moran announced she would run in the 2020 leadership election. She came in second place, losing to Ed Davey.
Moran has also called for changes to the history curriculum. She believes students should learn about Britain's colonial past. This would help tackle institutional racism in society. In 2020, many people signed a petition for this change. Moran and other MPs then pushed the government to make these changes.
In 2021, Moran and two other MPs took legal action against the government. This was about contracts given out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 9 September 2024, Layla Moran was chosen as the Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee.
Political Views
Environment
Moran supports taking action against climate change. She was the only MP in Oxfordshire to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. In 2023, she spoke against building solar farms in her area.
European Union
Moran was against Brexit, which was the UK leaving the European Union. She supported having a second public vote on EU membership. However, after the 2019 election, she said that the Liberal Democrat policy to stop Brexit without a second vote was a mistake.
Foreign Policy
Moran was against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She also opposed cuts to foreign aid for Yemen. She is critical of the war in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia.
Moran believes the UK should recognize the State of Palestine. She spoke in Parliament about children killed in the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. After the 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, she spoke at events for Israeli victims. She also called Hamas a terrorist group.
Moran supports an investigation into missing people in Saudi Arabia. She is also critical of the arms trade between Britain and Saudi Arabia. She is a critic of Russia. In February 2022, she named Russian oligarchs who she believed should face sanctions.
Moran supports Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and called for her release from prison in Iran.
During the Gaza war, she has asked for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. She urged the former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to take a stronger stand. She has also called for a permanent ceasefire. She mentioned that her own family members were stuck in Gaza. On 15 November 2023, she shared in Parliament that a family member had died in Gaza.
Housing
In 2020, Moran campaigned against a plan to build 11,000 new homes in Oxford by 2036. In 2023, she encouraged voters to support the Green Party. This was to stop increases in housing in her area.
Personal Life
Layla Moran lives in West Oxfordshire. In May 2025, Moran announced the birth of her first child. She took parental leave for about five months. Her baby was born at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
