Lisa Nandy facts for kids

Lisa Eva Nandy (born 9 August 1979) is a British politician from the Labour Party. She has been the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since 2024. This means she is a very important minister in the government, in charge of things like arts, sports, and media for the whole country. She has also been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wigan since 2010. An MP is a person elected to represent their local area in the UK Parliament. Before her current role, Lisa Nandy held several important positions in the Labour Party's "shadow cabinet," which is a group of opposition MPs who watch over the government's ministers.

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Lisa Nandy MP
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Lucy Frazer
Shadow cabinet positions Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development In office 4 September 2023 – 5 July 2024 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Preet Gill Succeeded by Harriett Baldwin Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities In office 29 November 2021 – 4 September 2023 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Steve Reed Succeeded by Angela Rayner Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs In office 5 April 2020 – 29 November 2021 Leader Keir Starmer Preceded by Emily Thornberry Succeeded by David Lammy Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change In office 13 September 2015 – 27 June 2016 Leader Jeremy Corbyn Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by Barry Gardiner
Junior shadow portfolios Shadow Minister for Civil Society In office 7 October 2013 – 14 September 2015 Leader Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) Preceded by Gareth Thomas Succeeded by Ian Lavery Anna Turley Shadow Minister for Children and Young Families In office 15 May 2012 – 9 October 2013 Leader Ed Miliband Preceded by Catherine McKinnell Succeeded by Steve McCabe
Member of Parliament for Wigan
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Neil Turner
Majority	9,549 (23.3%)
Personal details
Born	Lisa Eva Nandy (1979-08-09) 9 August 1979 (age 45) Manchester, England
Political party	Labour
Children	1
Parent	Dipak Nandy (father)
Relatives	Frank Byers (maternal grandfather)
Alma mater	Newcastle University (BA) Birkbeck, University of London (MA)
Signature

Early Life and Education

Lisa Nandy was born in Manchester, England, on 9 August 1979. Her father, Dipak Nandy, was an academic, and her mother was Luise Byers. Her grandfather, Frank Byers, was also a politician who served as an MP and later in the House of Lords.

Lisa Nandy grew up in both Manchester and Bury. She went to Parrs Wood High School and Holy Cross College. She then studied politics at Newcastle University, finishing in 2001. Later, she earned a master's degree in public policy from Birkbeck, University of London.

Early Career and Local Politics

Before becoming an MP, Lisa Nandy worked for another Labour MP, Neil Gerrard. She also worked for charities like Centrepoint, which helps homeless young people, and The Children's Society, where she focused on issues affecting young refugees.

From 2006 to 2010, she was a local councillor for Hammersmith Broadway in London. As a councillor, she helped make decisions about local services, including housing.

Parliamentary Career Highlights

Lisa Nandy was first elected as the MP for Wigan in 2010. She was chosen from a list of only women candidates. She won with 48.5% of the votes.

Soon after, she joined the Education Select Committee, which looks closely at education policies. She also became a "Parliamentary Private Secretary" to Tessa Jowell, helping her with her work. From 2012 to 2015, she served as a "Shadow Minister" for children and later for charities. A Shadow Minister is an opposition MP who challenges and suggests changes to the government's policies in a specific area.

She was re-elected as MP for Wigan in 2015 and again in 2017 and 2019. In 2015, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, a senior role in the Labour Party's shadow cabinet. She later resigned from this role.

In 2018, Lisa Nandy helped create the Centre for Towns. This group does research and analysis about towns across the UK. She also became the chair of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.

2020 Labour Leadership Election

In January 2020, Lisa Nandy decided to run to become the leader of the Labour Party. She wanted to help the party reconnect with its traditional supporters, especially after the 2019 election.

During her campaign, she talked about how a focus on social justice could help keep the United Kingdom together. She also received support from important groups like the GMB union and the Jewish Labour Movement. She finished third in the election.

Shadow Cabinet Roles (2020-2024)

After the leadership election, the new Labour leader, Keir Starmer, appointed Lisa Nandy to his "Shadow Cabinet."

• Shadow Foreign Secretary (2020-2021): She was in charge of challenging the government's foreign policy. She spoke about national security, climate change, and international relations.
• Shadow Levelling Up Secretary (2021-2023): She then moved to a new role, focusing on the government's plans to improve different parts of the country.
• Shadow International Development Cabinet Minister (2023-2024): Her last shadow role was looking at how the UK helps other countries around the world.

Culture Secretary (2024-Present)

After the 2024 general election, the Labour Party won, and Lisa Nandy was appointed as the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This is a very important job in the government. She is now responsible for areas like sports, arts, media, and the creative industries in the UK.

One of her first decisions in this role was about funding for a football stadium in Northern Ireland, called Casement Park. She confirmed that the government would not be able to provide funding for its redevelopment in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament.

Political Views

Lisa Nandy is seen as being on the "centre-left" of the Labour Party. This means her political ideas are generally progressive and focus on social fairness, but are not extreme.

She believes in internationalism, which means countries should work together. She supported the UK staying in the European Union and later supported a "soft Brexit," meaning a close relationship with the EU even after leaving.

On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, she supports a "two-state solution," which means creating two independent states for Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in peace. She believes in the right of both peoples to determine their own future.

Lisa Nandy supports "ethical interventionism." This means she believes that sometimes it's right for a country to get involved in another country's affairs for good reasons, like protecting human rights, but only when necessary and with clear goals. She has spoken out against human rights issues in countries like China and Russia.

She also believes that the BBC should be funded through general taxation rather than the current license fee.

Personal Life

Lisa Nandy is married to Andy Collis, who works as a public relations consultant. They have one son, who was born in 2015. She is also a member of the Unite Union.

Images for kids

• 

  Nandy at the 2016 Labour Party Conference