Paulette Hamilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paulette Hamilton
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington |
|
| Assumed office 3 March 2022 |
|
| Preceded by | Jack Dromey |
| Majority | 7,019 (20.8%) |
| Member of Birmingham City Council | |
| In office 10 June 2004 – 5 May 2022 |
|
| Ward | Handsworth Wood (2004–2018) Holyhead (2018–2022) |
| Preceded by | Ward established |
| Succeeded by | Rinkal Shergill |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paulette Adassa Hamilton
1962/1963 (age 62–63) Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| Political party | Labour |
Paulette Adassa Hamilton (born in 1963) is a British politician. She is a member of the Labour Party. Since 2022, she has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington. This means she represents the people of Birmingham Erdington in the UK Parliament.
Paulette Hamilton is the first black MP to represent a part of Birmingham. Before becoming an MP, she was a councillor on the Birmingham City Council. She served as a councillor from 2004 to 2022.
Early Life and Career
Paulette Hamilton was born and grew up in Handsworth, West Midlands. Her parents moved to England from Jamaica in the 1960s. They came to find work and worked in factories. Paulette has six brothers and sisters.
She went to Wilkes Green Infant and Junior School. She later attended King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy. At school, her maths teacher, Mr. Potter, helped her a lot. Thanks to his support, she passed seven important school exams called O Levels.
Paulette Hamilton worked as a nurse in the NHS for 25 years. The NHS is the UK's healthcare system. She worked as a district nurse, which means she cared for patients in their homes. She also worked as a sister, which is a senior nursing role. Later, she worked for the Royal College of Nursing, a group that supports nurses.
From 2004 to 2022, Hamilton was a councillor for Birmingham City Council. Councillors are elected to make decisions for their local area. She represented Handsworth Wood and later Holyhead. From 2015 to 2022, she was in charge of Health and Social Care for the council.
Parliamentary Career
In 2022, Paulette Hamilton was chosen to be the Labour candidate for a special election. This election was called the 2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election. A by-election happens when an MP leaves their job or passes away. The previous MP for Birmingham Erdington, Jack Dromey, had passed away.
The day before the by-election, some old comments made by Paulette Hamilton were shared. These comments were from a discussion in 2015 about getting more people from ethnic minorities into politics. The Labour Party said her comments were misunderstood. Paulette Hamilton also said she received unkind messages online because of this.
Despite this, Paulette Hamilton was elected as the MP for Birmingham Erdington in the 2022 by-election. She won with 55.5% of the votes. This was a big moment because she became Birmingham's first black MP.
Since July 2022, Hamilton has been a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee. This committee looks closely at how health and social care services are run in the UK.
In 2024, Paulette Hamilton was re-elected as the MP for Birmingham Erdington. She continues to represent her local area in Parliament.
Personal Life
Paulette Hamilton is married to Dennis. He is a milliner, which means he makes and sells hats. They have five children and one step-child. They also have six grandchildren.
