Miatta Fahnbulleh (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miatta Fahnbulleh
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Consumers | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Member of Parliament for Peckham |
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| Assumed office 4 July 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency reestablished |
| Majority | 15,228 (39.3%) |
| Personal details | |
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Miatta Nema Fahnbulleh
29 September 1979 Liberia |
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| Political party | Labour Co-op |
| Spouse | Graham |
| Relations | Gamal Fahnbulleh (brother) Miatta Fahnbulleh (aunt) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Lincoln College, Oxford (BA) London School of Economics (MA, PhD) |
| Profession | Developmental economist |
Miatta Nema Fahnbulleh, born on September 29, 1979, is a British politician and an expert in economics. She is a member of the Labour Co-op political party. In the 2024 general election, she was chosen to be the Member of Parliament (MP) for Peckham. An MP is someone elected to represent their local area in the UK Parliament.
Since July 2024, Miatta Fahnbulleh has been working as a junior minister. This means she is a government official who helps lead a specific department. She works in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This department focuses on making sure the UK has enough energy and is working towards cleaner energy. She was appointed to this role by Keir Starmer, who is the current Prime Minister.
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Early Life and Education
Miatta Fahnbulleh was born in Liberia, a country in West Africa. Her father was Liberian, and her mother was from Sierra Leone. She has a brother named Gamal.
When a civil war started in Liberia in 1986, her family had to leave their home. They moved to England and asked for asylum. Asylum is protection given by a country to someone who has fled their home country because of danger.
Miatta went to Beechwood Sacred Heart School, which is a private school in Tunbridge Wells, England. After school, she studied at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2000, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. Later, in 2005, she earned a PhD degree in Economic Development from the London School of Economics. For her PhD, she studied how countries like Ghana and Kenya developed their industries.
Early Career and Public Role
Before becoming an MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh had several important jobs. From 2011 to 2013, she was the Head of Cities in the policy unit at the Cabinet Office. This is a part of the UK government that helps the Prime Minister and other ministers.
She also worked as the director of policy and research at the IPPR from 2016 to 2017. From 2017 to 2023, she was the Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation. This is a "think tank," which is an organization that does research and suggests ideas for public policy. She was also a Policy Fellow at another think tank called Labour Together.
In May 2022, Miatta Fahnbulleh received a special grant called the MotheRED grant. This grant helps mothers who want to become politicians for the Labour Party. In September 2022, she announced she wanted to be the Labour Party candidate for the Peckham area. In November 2022, local Labour Party members chose her to be their candidate. She took over from Harriet Harman, who had been the MP for that area for 40 years.
Miatta Fahnbulleh has also appeared on the BBC television show Question Time many times. On this show, politicians and other guests answer questions from the public.
Parliamentary Career
In the 2024 general election, Miatta Fahnbulleh was elected as the MP for Peckham. On July 9, 2024, she was appointed as a junior minister. Her role is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This means she helps with decisions about energy for people in the UK.
Political Ideas
Miatta Fahnbulleh is a member of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party. In terms of her political beliefs, she is seen as part of the "soft left" within the Labour Party. This means she generally supports policies that aim to reduce inequality and improve public services, but she might be less extreme than some other left-wing politicians.
She has actively campaigned for urgent action to address the climate crisis. This means she believes it's very important to tackle climate change quickly. As an economist, she has spoken about the need to change the current economic system. She describes herself as a "heterodox economist," which means she looks at economic ideas from different viewpoints, not just the traditional ones.
Personal Life
Miatta Fahnbulleh is married to Graham, and they have three children. Her uncle is Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh, who used to be a Foreign Minister in Liberia. Her aunt is the singer Miatta Fahnbulleh, who shares the same name as her.
