Miatta Fahnbulleh (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miatta Fahnbulleh
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Consumers | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 |
|
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Member of Parliament for Peckham |
|
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 |
|
| Preceded by | Constituency restablished |
| Majority | 15,228 (39.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Miatta Nema Fahnbulleh
29 September 1979 Liberia |
| Nationality |
|
| 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 29 September 1979) is a British politician and economist. She is a member of the Labour Co-op party. In the 2024 general election, she was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Peckham. Miatta Fahnbulleh currently serves as a junior minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. She was appointed to this role by Keir Starmer.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Miatta Fahnbulleh was born in Liberia on September 29, 1979. Her father was Liberian and her mother was from Sierra Leone. She has a brother named Gamal.
In 1986, her family had to leave Liberia because of the First Liberian Civil War. They moved to the UK and asked for asylum, which means they asked for protection in the country.
Miatta went to Beechwood Sacred Heart School in Tunbridge Wells. After school, she studied at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2000, she earned a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. Later, in 2005, she received a PhD in Economic Development from the London School of Economics. Her PhD research looked at how countries like Ghana and Kenya used economic plans to grow.
Career Before Parliament
Before becoming an MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh held several important roles. From 2011 to 2013, she worked in the Cabinet Office. This is a part of the UK government that supports the Prime Minister. She was the Head of Cities in their policy unit.
She also worked at different research organizations, often called 'think tanks'.
- From 2016 to 2017, she was the director of policy and research at the IPPR.
- From 2017 to 2023, she was the Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation.
- She was also a Policy Fellow at another think tank called Labour Together.
In 2022, Miatta Fahnbulleh received a special grant called MotheRED. This grant helps mothers who want to become politicians for the Labour Party. In September 2022, she announced she wanted to become the candidate for Camberwell and Peckham. In November 2022, local Labour Party members chose her. She took over from Harriet Harman, who had been an MP for 40 years.
Even before she was elected, people noticed her. In June 2024, the New Statesman magazine listed her as one of the 50 most influential people in progressive politics. They thought she would be a good choice to join the government. Miatta Fahnbulleh has also appeared on the BBC show Question Time as a guest.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
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 a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This means she helps manage energy and climate policies for the government.
Political Ideas
Miatta Fahnbulleh is a member of both the Labour and Co-operative parties. She is considered to be on the 'soft left' side of the Labour Party. This means her political views are generally progressive, but perhaps not as extreme as some other left-wing politicians.
She strongly believes in taking quick action to deal with the climate crisis. As an economist, she has described herself as a 'heterodox economist'. This means she likes to think differently about how the economy works and has suggested changes to the current economic system.
Personal Life
Miatta Fahnbulleh is married to Graham and they have three children. Her aunt is a singer who also shares the name Miatta Fahnbulleh.
