Paulette Hamilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paulette Hamilton
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Interim Chair and Deputy Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2025 |
|
| Preceded by | Layla Moran |
| 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 is a British politician from the Labour Party. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington since 2022. She is also the Interim (and Vice) Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee since May 2025.
Paulette Hamilton made history as the first black MP to represent a part of Birmingham. Before becoming an MP, she was a local councillor on the Birmingham City Council from 2004 to 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paulette Hamilton was born and grew up in Handsworth, West Midlands, England. Her parents moved to England from Jamaica in the 1960s. They worked in factories to build a new life.
She has six brothers and sisters. Paulette went to Wilkes Green Infant and Junior School. She has shared that she faced unfair treatment at primary school. Later, she attended King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy. There, her maths teacher, Mr Potter, helped her a lot. He supported her in getting good grades in her exams.
Career Before Parliament
Before entering politics, Paulette Hamilton worked as a nurse for 25 years. She worked in the NHS, which is the UK's healthcare system. Her roles included being a district nurse and a sister.
She also worked for the Royal College of Nursing. This is a trade union that supports nurses. She was a regional development officer there.
Local Government Role
Paulette Hamilton was elected as a councillor on the Birmingham City Council. She represented the Handsworth Wood area from 2004 to 2018. After that, she represented the Holyhead area from 2018 to 2022.
From 2015 to 2022, she was in charge of Health and Social Care for the council. This meant she helped make decisions about local health services.
Her Career in Parliament
Paulette Hamilton became the Labour candidate for the 2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election in January 2022. This special election happened after the previous MP, Jack Dromey, passed away.
The day before the election, some old comments she made in 2015 were shared. She had attended a discussion about increasing political representation for minority groups. The Labour Party said her comments were misunderstood. She also said she received a lot of online abuse because of this.
Becoming an MP
In the 2022 by-election, Paulette Hamilton won the election. She received 55.5% of the votes. This made her the MP for Birmingham Erdington. As mentioned, she was the first black MP for Birmingham.
Since July 2022, she 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 2023, she spoke out about proposed cuts to local BBC radio. She believed that people who pay for TV licences should be asked what they think.
Paulette Hamilton was re-elected as MP for Birmingham Erdington in the 2024 United Kingdom general election. She won with a majority of 7,019 votes.
Personal Life
Paulette Hamilton is married to Dennis, who is a milliner. A milliner is someone who makes and sells hats. Dennis has a shop in Grand Central, Birmingham.
Together, they have five children and one step-child. They also have seven grandchildren.
