Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for Housing and Planning
In office 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Caroline Flint
Succeeded by	John Healey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science
In office 12 March 1976 – 4 May 1979
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson James Callaghan
Preceded by	Joan Lestor
Succeeded by	Rhodes Boyson

Shadow cabinet portfolios

1995–1997	Trade and Industry
1994–1995	Health
1992–1994	Commons Leader
1989–1992	Chief Treasury Secretary

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

Incumbent

Assumed office
14 August 2024
Life peerage

Member of Parliament
for Derby South

In office
9 June 1983 – 30 May 2024

Preceded by

Walter Johnson

Succeeded by

Baggy Shanker

Member of Parliament
for Lincoln

In office
10 October 1974 – 7 April 1979

Preceded by

Dick Taverne

Succeeded by

Kenneth Carlisle

Personal details

Born

Margaret Mary Jackson

15 January 1943 (age 82)
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England

Political party

Labour

Spouse

Lionel Beckett

(m. 1979; died 2021)

Alma mater

Manchester College of Science and Technology (BSc)

Signature

Margaret Mary Beckett, Baroness Beckett (born 15 January 1943), is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 45 years. An MP represents a specific area in the House of Commons. She was first elected in 1974 and served until 1979. Then she was an MP again from 1983 to 2024.

Margaret Beckett is a member of the Labour Party. She made history as the United Kingdom's first female Foreign Secretary. This role involves dealing with other countries. She also served as a minister under several Prime Ministers. These include Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown.

She was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994. For a short time in 1994, she was also the acting Leader of the Opposition. This happened after the death of John Smith, the Labour Party leader at the time. She was an MP for Lincoln and later for Derby South. Her long service makes her one of the longest-serving female MPs.

After Labour won power in 1997, Margaret Beckett joined Tony Blair's Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of senior ministers who make important decisions. She held several important jobs. These included President of the Board of Trade and Leader of the House of Commons. She also served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In 2006, she became the Foreign Secretary. This was a very important role. She was the first woman to hold this position.

After Tony Blair left office in 2007, Margaret Beckett was not immediately given a role by the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. However, she later returned to government as Minister of State for Housing and Planning in 2008. She left the government in 2009. She continued to be an MP until the 2024 general election. After leaving the House of Commons, she was appointed to the House of Lords. This is the second chamber of the UK Parliament.

Early Life and Education

Margaret Mary Jackson was born on 15 January 1943. She grew up in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England. Her father was a carpenter and her mother was a teacher. Her father died when she was young, which made things difficult for her family.

She went to Notre Dame High School for Girls in Norwich. Later, she studied at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. She earned a degree in metallurgy, which is the study of metals. While at university, she was very active in the Students' Union.

In 1961, Margaret Beckett started working as a student apprentice. She joined the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1964. This is a trade union that represents workers. In 1966, she worked at the University of Manchester in the metallurgy department. By 1970, she started working for the Labour Party as a researcher. She focused on industrial policy.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1973, Margaret Beckett was chosen to be the Labour candidate for Lincoln. The Labour Party wanted to win this seat back. In the February 1974 election, she did not win. She lost by a small number of votes.

After this election, she worked for Judith Hart, a government minister. In October 1974, another general election was called. Margaret Beckett ran for Lincoln again. This time, she won and became an MP. Her majority was 984 votes.

Soon after becoming an MP, she was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary. In 1975, she became a Whip. Whips help make sure MPs vote with their party. In 1976, she was promoted to a junior minister role. She worked at the Department of Education and Science. She stayed in this job until she lost her seat in the 1979 election.

After losing her seat, she worked as a researcher for Granada Television. In 1980, she was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee. This is an important group within the Labour Party.

In 1983, Margaret Beckett was chosen to run for the Derby South seat. She won this election with a small majority. In March 2022, she announced that she would not run for MP again. She stepped down at the 2024 general election.

Shadow Cabinet and Deputy Leader

When Margaret Beckett returned to the House of Commons in 1983, she became more involved in the Labour Party's leadership. She became a spokeswoman on Social Security in 1984. In 1989, she joined the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet is a group of senior opposition MPs. They mirror the government's Cabinet. Each member shadows a government minister.

After the 1992 general election, she was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. She worked alongside John Smith, who was the party leader. She was the first woman to hold this important role. In 1993, she became a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of senior advisors to the King.

On 12 May 1994, John Smith sadly died. Margaret Beckett became the acting Leader of the Labour Party. This made her the first woman to lead the Labour Party, even if only for a short time. She decided to run for the permanent leader position. However, she came in last place in the election. Tony Blair won and became the new leader. She also ran for Deputy Leader again but lost to John Prescott. Even though she lost, Tony Blair kept her in the Shadow Cabinet. She became the Shadow Health Secretary.

She was the leader during the 1994 European Parliament elections. Labour had a very good result in these elections. This was partly due to public sympathy after John Smith's death.

Under Tony Blair's leadership, she was the Shadow Secretary of State for Health. From 1995, she was the Shadow President of the Board of Trade.

Working in Government (1997–2001)

The Labour Party won a huge victory in the 1997 general election. Margaret Beckett held several senior jobs in Tony Blair's government. She was appointed President of the Board of Trade. This was a very important role dealing with business and industry. She was the first woman to hold this position. Peter Mandelson took over from her in July 1998.

From 1998 to 2001, she was the Leader of the House of Commons. In this role, she helped manage the business of Parliament. She introduced "Westminster Hall debates." These are special debates held in a smaller chamber. They allow MPs to discuss topics that might not get time in the main chamber. She was praised for her work in modernizing Parliament.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary (2001–2006)

After the 2001 general election, Margaret Beckett became the Secretary of State for the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This department was created after a serious foot and mouth disease epidemic. DEFRA took over the responsibilities of the old Ministry of Agriculture.

She was also formally appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for a short time. This was for legal reasons. She held the position of Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs until May 2006. She worked on issues like climate change and attended international conferences.

A report in 2007 criticized her role in problems at the Rural Payments Agency. This agency handles payments to farmers.

Foreign Secretary (2006–2007)

In 2006, Tony Blair made Margaret Beckett the Foreign Secretary. This was a big promotion. She was the first woman to hold this important job. She was also only the second woman to hold one of the "Great Offices of State." These are the four most senior positions in the British government.

Some people thought she was chosen because she was reliable and loyal. Her experience with international climate change issues was also a factor. She had to quickly adapt to her new role. Soon after her appointment, she flew to the United Nations to discuss the Iran nuclear crisis.

Margaret Beckett with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in 2006.

She faced some criticism as Foreign Secretary. Some felt she was not quick enough to respond to the 2006 Lebanon War. Others said she allowed the Foreign Office to be too influenced by the Prime Minister's office. In August 2006, some Labour Party members in her area left the party. They disagreed with her approach to the conflict in Lebanon.

After Tony Blair

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Margaret Beckett did not continue as Foreign Secretary. David Miliband took over the role. Margaret Beckett returned to being a regular MP, known as a "backbencher."

In 2008, she returned to government. Gordon Brown appointed her as the Minister of State for Housing. She attended Cabinet meetings but was not a full member. She left the government for the last time in 2009.

She was part of a group of UK Parliamentarians working for nuclear disarmament. She also served on the Henry Jackson Society Advisory Council.

Parliamentary Allowances and Speaker Bid

In 2009, there were discussions about how MPs claimed expenses. Margaret Beckett's claims were looked at. She later wrote to a committee investigating MPs' allowances. She said that the allowances did not fully cover the costs MPs faced.

On 10 June 2009, Margaret Beckett announced she wanted to become the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker is like the referee in Parliament. They make sure debates are fair and follow the rules. She said Parliament needed to make changes. She ran in the election for Speaker but withdrew after the second round of voting.

Alternative Vote Referendum

In 2010, Margaret Beckett became the President of the NOtoAV campaign. This campaign wanted to keep the current voting system in the UK. This system is called First Past the Post (FPTP). They were campaigning against a change to the Alternative Vote (AV) system. She led the campaign to success, and FPTP remains the system used in UK parliamentary elections.

Labour Leadership Elections

In 2015, Margaret Beckett was one of the Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership election. However, she later supported Owen Smith in the 2016 leadership election. This was an attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

In 2019, she said she was "surprised" by how Jeremy Corbyn had improved as a leader. She mentioned that a Conservative MP had called him "perfectly competent."

The Beckett Report

On 16 January 2016, Margaret Beckett released a report. It was called "Learning the Lessons from Defeat Taskforce Report." This report looked into why the Labour Party lost the 2015 general election. The election result was a surprise to many.

The report said that some common explanations for the loss were not the main reasons. It suggested that the perceived weakness of Ed Miliband (the Labour leader at the time) was a key factor. It also mentioned fears among English voters about Labour's relationship with the Scottish National Party (SNP). Other reasons included a link to the financial crisis and problems connecting with voters.

The report also gave advice for the future. It said Labour should use simple language in campaigns. It should focus on policies for Britain in 2020. It also said the party needed to unite for the EU referendum.

The report received mixed reactions. Some on the left of politics felt it didn't fully understand the reasons for the loss. Others, including some centrist Labour politicians, welcomed the report.

Margaret Beckett is also the Chair of the National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) in Parliament.

National Executive Committee Chairmanship

On 24 November 2020, Margaret Beckett was elected as the Chair of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC). This is a very important role within the party. She was elected without anyone running against her.

She later apologized for a remark she made during a Zoom call in March 2021. She thought her microphone was off when she made an insulting comment about another NEC member. She apologized immediately and said she deeply regretted it.

Honours and Awards

Margaret Beckett was appointed to the Privy Council in 1993. This is an honour given to senior politicians. In 2013, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This was for her public and political service. In 2024, she was promoted to Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE). This is an even higher honour.

In November 2017, she received an honorary degree from the University of Derby. This is a special award given by a university.

After she stepped down as an MP, she was nominated for a life peerage. This means she became a member of the House of Lords for life. On 14 August 2024, she was given the title Baroness Beckett, of Old Normanton in the City of Derby.

Personal Life

Margaret Beckett married Lionel "Leo" Beckett in August 1979. He was the chairman of her local Labour Party. Margaret Beckett employed her husband as her office manager. Some people have criticized MPs for employing family members. However, this practice was allowed for MPs elected before 2017.

Leo Beckett had two sons from a previous marriage. He also had three grandchildren. Margaret and Leo Beckett enjoyed going on caravan holidays. Leo Beckett passed away in 2021 at the age of 95.

Images for kids

Margaret Beckett's signature

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Honours and Awards
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Margaret Beckett facts for kids