Lisa Nandy facts for kids

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

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 July 2024. This means she is a government minister in charge of things like arts, sports, and broadcasting in the UK. She has also been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wigan area since 2010.

Early Life and Education

Lisa Nandy was born in Manchester, England, on 9 August 1979. Her father, Dipak Nandy, was an academic. Her mother, Luise, was the daughter of Frank Byers, who was also a politician. Frank Byers was an MP for the Liberal Party and later became a member of the House of Lords.

Lisa Nandy grew up in both Manchester and Bury. She went to school in Manchester and Bury. She later studied politics at Newcastle University, finishing in 2001. She then earned a master's degree in public policy from Birkbeck, University of London.

Early Career

Before becoming an MP, Lisa Nandy worked for another Labour MP, Neil Gerrard. She also worked for charities that help people. From 2003 to 2005, she was a researcher at Centrepoint, a charity that helps homeless young people. After that, from 2005 to 2010, she was a senior policy adviser at The Children's Society. Here, she focused on issues affecting young refugees.

She also served as a local councillor for the Hammersmith Broadway area in London from 2006 to 2010. As a councillor, she worked on housing issues.

Parliamentary Career

Lisa Nandy was chosen to be the Labour candidate for the Wigan area in February 2010. At the general election in 2010, she was elected as the MP for Wigan.

Working in Opposition (2010-2024)

When a political party is not in government, it forms the "Opposition." Lisa Nandy spent many years working in the Opposition, holding different important roles.

In 2012, she became the Shadow Minister for Children and Young Families. This role meant she would challenge the government's policies on children and young people. In 2013, she became the shadow charities minister.

She was re-elected as MP for Wigan in the 2015 general election. After this election, the Labour Party chose a new leader, Jeremy Corbyn. He appointed Lisa Nandy to be the Shadow Energy Secretary in his team. This role meant she was responsible for developing Labour's policies on energy. She later resigned from this role in 2016.

Nandy at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

Lisa Nandy was re-elected as MP for Wigan in the 2017 and 2019 general elections.

Running for Labour Leader in 2020

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. During her campaign, she received support from the GMB union and the Jewish Labour Movement. In the end, she came third in the election, and Keir Starmer became the new leader.

Shadow Cabinet Roles (2020-2024)

After Keir Starmer became leader, he appointed Lisa Nandy to several important roles in his "Shadow Cabinet." A Shadow Cabinet is a team of opposition politicians who mirror the government's cabinet. Each shadow minister "shadows" a government minister, preparing to take over if their party wins the next election.

• Shadow Foreign Secretary (2020-2021): She was responsible for Labour's foreign policy. She spoke about national security, climate change, and international relations.
• Shadow Levelling Up Secretary (2021-2023): This new role focused on reducing differences between richer and poorer parts of the UK.
• Shadow International Development Cabinet Minister (2023-2024): In this role, she focused on how the UK helps other countries around the world.

In Government (2024-Present)

After the 2024 general election, the Labour Party won, and Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. Lisa Nandy was appointed to a top government job.

Culture Secretary

Since July 2024, Lisa Nandy has been the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This means she is in charge of government policy for:

• Culture: Arts, museums, heritage.
• Media: Broadcasting (like the BBC), newspapers, digital media.
• Sport: Supporting sports across the country.

One of her tasks has been discussing how the BBC is funded. She has suggested that it might be paid for through general taxes instead of the current license fee system.

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 justice, but she is also practical.

She believes in international cooperation and supported the UK remaining in the European Union. She also supported a "soft Brexit," which meant keeping closer ties with Europe after leaving.

On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, she supports a "two-state solution," where both Israelis and Palestinians have their own secure states. She also believes in "ethical interventionism," meaning that sometimes countries should get involved in other countries' problems for good reasons, like protecting human rights. She has criticized human rights records in countries like China and Russia.

Personal Life

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