Phyllis Starkey facts for kids

Phyllis Margaret Starkey (born January 4, 1947) is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Milton Keynes South West. She represented the Labour Party from 1997 to 2010. Before becoming an MP, she was the leader of Oxford City Council.

Early Life and Education

Phyllis Starkey was born in Ipswich, England. Her father, Dr. John Williams, was a food chemist. She went to the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge. Later, she studied Biochemistry at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. She earned her first degree in 1970. In 1974, she received her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge.

Career Before Parliament

Before she became an MP, Phyllis Starkey worked in science. She focused on biomedical research.

Research in Biochemistry

Her early work was at the University of Cambridge. She researched biochemistry with Alan Barrett. From 1974 to 1981, she worked at the Strangeways Laboratory in Cambridge.

Research in Obstetrics

Later, she led a research group at the University of Oxford. This group studied problems related to pregnancy. She worked at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology in Oxford from 1981 to 1984. She also taught Obstetrics at Oxford University. From 1984 to 1993, she was a fellow at Somerville College, Oxford.

Science Policy and Local Politics

From 1993 to 1997, she worked on science and technology policy. She also advised on bioethics for a research council. In 1997 and 1998, she was a fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford.

Phyllis Starkey joined the Labour Party in 1974. She became a councillor on Oxford City Council in 1983. She held important roles there. She was the leader of the council from 1990 to 1993. She also chaired the Finance Committee for several years.

Time in Parliament

Phyllis Starkey was chosen to run for Parliament. She became an MP in the 1997 United Kingdom general election. This election brought many women into Parliament. The media sometimes called these new female MPs 'The Blair Babes'.

Working as a Backbencher (1997–2001)

From 1997 to 1999, Starkey was part of a special committee. This committee looked at how Parliament could be more modern. They made changes to make Parliament more 'family friendly'.

In 1998, Starkey worked to make clubs safer for young people. She wanted a national register for door supervisors, also known as bouncers. Her idea helped lead to a new law in 2001. This law created the Security Industry Authority in 2003. This group now regulates security staff.

From 1999 to 2001, she was a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. This committee looks at how the UK deals with other countries.

Parliamentary Private Secretary (2001–2005)

After the 2001 United Kingdom general election, Starkey took on a new role. She became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). This means she helped junior ministers in the Foreign Office. She worked with ministers like Denis MacShane and Ben Bradshaw. From 2002, she was PPS to Denis MacShane, who was then the Minister of State for Europe.

Leading a Committee (2005–2010)

After the 2005 United Kingdom general election, Starkey became a committee chair. She led the Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In 2006, this committee changed its name. It became the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Its main job was to look at local government and communities.

During this time, Starkey sometimes questioned the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. For example, she asked tough questions about the situation between Israel and Palestine. She also raised concerns about education and jobs for some communities in Britain.

In 2007, Starkey called for an investigation into a private security company. This company worked for the British Government in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also pushed for rules for nail bars. She wanted to ban a harmful chemical glue used for fake nails.

Starkey was very interested in the Middle East. She visited Palestine and Lebanon. Her views on the conflict in Lebanon were different from her party's leaders. In a quiz about Middle East issues, she scored very high.

End of Her Parliamentary Career

In the 2010 general election, Starkey ran for a new seat. This was Milton Keynes South. However, she lost to the Conservative candidate, Iain Stewart. She had beaten him in earlier elections.

Personal Life

Phyllis Starkey married Hugh Walton Starkey on September 6, 1969. They have two daughters.