Shadow portfolios 2011‍–‍2024

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 4 September 2023 – 5 July 2024
Leader	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Jonathan Ashworth
Succeeded by	Mel Stride
Shadow Minister for Social Care
In office 9 April 2020 – 4 September 2023
Leader	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Paula Sherriff
Succeeded by	Andrew Gwynne
In office 7 October 2011 – 12 September 2015
Leader	Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (acting)
Preceded by	Emily Thornberry
Succeeded by	Barbara Keeley

Personal details

Born

Elizabeth Louise Kendall

11 June 1971 (age 54)
Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, England

Political party

Labour

Children

Alma mater

Queens' College, Cambridge

Elizabeth Louise Kendall, born on June 11, 1971, is a British politician. She is a member of the Labour Party. Since September 2025, she has been the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. Before this, she served as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from July 2024 to September 2025. She has also been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester West since 2010. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the UK Parliament. A Secretary of State is a senior government minister in charge of a specific department.

Early Life and Career
Parliamentary Career
Political Views
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Career

Elizabeth Kendall was born on June 11, 1971, in Abbots Langley, England. Her father worked in finance, and her mother was a primary school teacher. Her parents encouraged her and her brother to learn about politics and help their community. For example, her first political campaign was to get a local zebra crossing. She went to Watford Grammar School for Girls. Later, she studied history at Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating in 1993.

Kendall joined the Labour Party in 1992. After university, she worked at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). This group studies public policies, like those about child development. In 1996, she became an adviser to Harriet Harman, a prominent politician. After the Labour Party won the 1997 election, Kendall continued to advise Harman in the government.

Later, she worked for the King's Fund, a health charity. She also wrote research papers for the IPPR. She became the Director of the Maternity Alliance, a charity for pregnant women. In 2001, she returned to government to work for Patricia Hewitt. She helped bring in the smoking ban in 2006. This law made it illegal to smoke in many public places. Before becoming an MP, she was the Director of the Ambulance Services Network until 2010.

Parliamentary Career

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 2010 general election, Liz Kendall was elected as the MP for Leicester West. This means she was chosen by the people of Leicester West to represent them in Parliament. She won with 38.4% of the votes. On June 10, 2010, she gave her first speech in Parliament about tackling poverty.

Early Years in Parliament (2010–2015)

Kendall was briefly part of the Education Select Committee. This committee looks closely at education policies. In October 2010, she joined the Opposition frontbench. This is a group of leading politicians from the main opposition party. She served as a Shadow Junior Health Minister. In 2011, she wrote a chapter in The Purple Book. This book shared ideas from Labour MPs on topics like early years education and health. Later that year, she became the Shadow Minister for Care and Older People. She also attended meetings of the Shadow Cabinet, which is like a shadow government.

In the 2015 general election, Kendall was re-elected as MP for Leicester West. She received even more votes this time.

Running for Labour Party Leader

Liz Kendall at a Labour Party leadership meeting in Bristol in 2015.

After the 2015 general election, the Labour Party leader resigned. On May 10, 2015, Liz Kendall announced she would run to become the new leader. She was seen as a "modernising candidate." This meant she wanted to update the party's ideas and approach. Many senior Labour politicians supported her. Some media outlets also praised her. They said she was the candidate the opposing Conservative Party would "fear the most." However, she finished in fourth place in the election.

After the Leadership Election

After Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader in September 2015, Liz Kendall left the Shadow Cabinet. She continued to serve as an MP. She was re-elected in the 2017 general election with a much larger number of votes. She was again re-elected in the 2019 general election.

Returning to a Leading Role

When Keir Starmer became Labour leader in 2020, he asked Liz Kendall to join the frontbench again. She became the Shadow Minister for Social Care. In November 2021, she took maternity leave. Her son was born in January 2022 through surrogacy. On September 4, 2023, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2024–2025)

In the 2024 general election, Liz Kendall was re-elected as MP for Leicester West. After the election, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed her as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. This is a very important job in the government. She was also made a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of senior advisers to the King.

As Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall worked on changing the UK's welfare system. She wanted the department to help people find jobs, not just give out benefits. She talked about helping people with health, skills, childcare, and transport. These things can make it hard for people to get and keep jobs.

Kendall proposed a "Youth Guarantee" for young people aged 18 to 21. This program aimed to ensure young people were either working or learning. If they refused to take part, their benefits could be reduced. She believed that getting young people into work early helps them in the long run.

She also suggested changes to who could receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and other benefits. These changes aimed to save money. They were expected to affect about one million people. Disability charities and other groups criticized these changes. They worried the changes could make life harder for disabled people. Liz Kendall said she wanted a balanced approach. She aimed to be responsible with money while still helping vulnerable people. She also wanted to use the saved money to help people on health-related benefits find work.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (2025–present)

In September 2025, Liz Kendall was appointed as the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. In this role, she leads the government department that supports scientific research, new inventions, and technological advancements in the UK.

Political Views

Economic and Financial Ideas

Liz Kendall supports a "living wage." This is a wage high enough for people to afford basic living costs. She also believes workers should have a say in how companies are run. She asked a former minister to review tax reliefs for businesses.

Defence and International Relations

Kendall is "pro-European." This means she supports close ties with European countries. She has spoken in favor of the UK rejoining the European Union. She also supports spending at least 2% of the country's money on defence, as agreed by NATO members. She is in favor of keeping Britain's Trident nuclear submarines.

She supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. This means creating two independent states for both peoples. She is also a member of Labour Friends of Israel.

Education Ideas

Kendall believes education is key to reducing inequality. She supports expanding programs like "academies" and "free schools." These are types of schools that have more freedom in how they are run. She thinks the focus should be on good quality education. She also believes investing in early years education is very important. She has said more effort is needed to help young people from working-class backgrounds achieve their goals.

Health and Welfare Ideas

Liz Kendall at a People's march for the NHS in 2014.

Kendall has supported giving patients more choices in the NHS. She believes private and charity groups can help the NHS. She also supported limits on how much money people can receive in benefits. As Work and Pensions Secretary, she suggested that job coaches could visit people in mental health hospitals. She also felt some people receiving benefits could be encouraged to return to work.

Immigration Ideas

Kendall supported some ideas to change how EU migrants could claim benefits. She supports the current points-based immigration system. This system gives points to people based on their skills and qualifications. She believes in strict rules against misusing the immigration system. However, she also talks about the good things that immigration brings to her local area.

Devolution Ideas

Kendall supports "radical devolution" to England. This means giving more power and decision-making to local areas in England. She believes in sharing power at all levels, down to communities and individuals.

Social Issues

Kendall voted for same-sex marriage in 2013. In November 2024, she announced her support for laws on assisted dying. In December 2024, she announced that women affected by changes to the state pension age (known as WASPI women) would not receive compensation.

Personal Life

Liz Kendall was previously in a relationship with actor Greg Davies. In November 2021, she announced she would have a baby through surrogacy. Her son was born in January 2022. On July 6, 2024, she became a member of the Privy Council. This means she can use the title "The Right Honourable".

Liz Kendall facts for kids

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