Ruth Kelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Kelly
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Official portrait, c. 2004–05
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| Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Douglas Alexander |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | |
| In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | David Miliband John Prescott |
| Succeeded by | Hazel Blears |
| Minister for Women | |
| In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Tessa Jowell |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Harman |
| Secretary of State for Education and Skills | |
| In office 15 December 2004 – 5 May 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Charles Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Alan Johnson |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 15 May 2002 – 15 December 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Paul Boateng |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Timms |
| Economic Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 8 June 2001 – 15 May 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Melanie Johnson |
| Succeeded by | John Healey |
| Member of Parliament for Bolton West |
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| In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Tom Sackville |
| Succeeded by | Julie Hilling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 May 1968 Limavady, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Political party | Labour (1990–2018) |
| Spouse | Derek Gadd |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | The Queen's College, Oxford London School of Economics |
Ruth Maria Kelly (born 9 May 1968) is a British politician who was a member of the Labour Party. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton West from 1997 to 2010.
During her time in government, she held several important roles. These included Secretary of State for Transport, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Minister for Women and Equality, and Secretary of State for Education and Skills. She worked under two Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. After leaving politics, she became the chair of Water UK, which represents water companies in the UK.
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Early Life and Education
Ruth Kelly was born in Limavady, Northern Ireland, on May 9, 1968. She spent some time in the Republic of Ireland before moving to England. There, she attended schools like Sutton High School and Westminster School.
She then went to The Queen's College, Oxford, where she studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Later, she earned a Master's degree in Economics from the London School of Economics. Before becoming an MP, she worked as an economics writer for The Guardian newspaper. She also worked at the Bank of England, which is the central bank of the UK. In 1996, she married Derek John Gadd, and they have four children.
Family Background
Ruth Kelly's family has an interesting history. Her mother's grandfather, Philip Murphy, was involved in the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921). He was held by the government in Northern Ireland for a time.
Her father's grandfather, Francis Kelly, fought in the First World War in France. After the war, he became a school teacher in County Tyrone. Ruth Kelly's father, James (Seamus) Kelly, was one of his children.
Religious Beliefs
Ruth Kelly is a practicing Roman Catholic. She is a member of Opus Dei, a Catholic organization. She has said that she received "spiritual support" from the group. Her brother, Ronan Kelly, is also a member.
Political Career as an MP
Ruth Kelly became an MP in the 1997 United Kingdom general election. She won the seat for Bolton West while she was pregnant. Her first son was born just eleven days after the election. This was when Tony Blair became Prime Minister, and the Labour Party won by a large amount.
She served on the Treasury Select Committee, which looks at government spending. She also worked as a special assistant to the Agriculture Minister.
After the 2001 United Kingdom general election, she was given a role at the Treasury. She focused on rules for businesses and financial services. She helped create new rules to stop money from being used to fund terrorism after the September 2001 attacks.
She also dealt with issues related to a life insurance company called Equitable Life. She decided that the government would not pay compensation to people who lost money, as the company's actions caused the losses.
Ruth Kelly was known for balancing her work with her family life. As a mother of four young children, she chose not to work the very long hours often expected in her roles.
Party Loyalty
During her time as an MP, Ruth Kelly usually voted with her party. She supported the Iraq War and voted against an independent investigation into it. She also voted for the introduction of university tuition fees and for identity cards. She supported replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system.
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
In December 2004, Ruth Kelly became the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. This meant she was in charge of education in the UK. She was the youngest woman ever to join the Cabinet, which is a group of the most important government ministers.
One of her policies was "Extended Schools." This plan aimed to open schools for longer hours, from 8 am to 6 pm, to provide childcare for working parents. This was part of a wider idea to use schools more as community resources.
She also faced criticism for rejecting a report that suggested replacing A-level exams with a new diploma system.
Trust Schools
A big discussion during her time as Education Secretary was about introducing "trust schools." These schools would be non-profit but could be set up by different organizations, including businesses. A main concern was that they could set their own rules for admitting students.
Many Labour MPs and other important figures opposed these plans. They worried about fairness in school admissions. The government eventually changed the name of "trust schools" in the new law, but the idea of schools having more control over their operations remained.
Children's Schooling
Ruth Kelly's children attended a Roman Catholic primary school. However, she later moved one of her sons to a private school that specializes in helping boys with dyslexia and developmental coordination disorder. She paid for this herself.
This decision caused some debate. Some people felt it was a criticism of state schools. However, others, including then-Conservative leader David Cameron, defended her choice, saying parents should do what's best for their children. The Press Complaints Commission, which handles complaints about newspapers, said the story was of "considerable public interest" because of her role in education.
Fathers for Justice Incidents
Ruth Kelly was targeted twice by members of the fathers' rights group Fathers 4 Justice. They threw eggs at her in 2005 and 2006. The people involved were charged and fined.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In May 2006, Ruth Kelly became the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. This new role focused on local communities and government. She was also made Minister for Women and Equality.
She announced that her new role would involve working to reduce extremism within communities.
Planning Decisions
Ruth Kelly showed some opposition to building very tall skyscrapers. For example, she stopped a large development in Liverpool and called for a review of a tall building proposal in London. She also blocked a 42-storey tower in Brighton. However, she approved new homes and businesses in Walker, Newcastle, to help improve the area.
Secretary of State for Transport
In June 2007, Ruth Kelly was appointed Secretary of State for Transport in Gordon Brown's new government. Soon after, she had to deal with ensuring public safety on transport after attempted terrorist attacks.
Support for Biofuels
She supported the use of biofuels, which are fuels made from plants. This drew some criticism from environmental activists. They worried that growing crops for fuel could lead to less food for people in poorer countries.
Railways
Ruth Kelly announced plans to increase railway capacity by adding more trains across the country by 2010. However, some critics felt that too much of the funding would be spent in London. She approved billions of pounds for the Crossrail project in London. This upset MPs in other cities, like Manchester, who felt their public transport projects were not getting enough funding.
Heathrow Expansion
She also put forward plans for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport. This was a big and challenging project for the UK government.
Resignation from Cabinet
In September 2008, Ruth Kelly announced that she would resign from the Cabinet. She said she wanted to spend more time with her family. This ended her four years as a Cabinet minister. She did not run for re-election in the 2010 general election.
After Politics
After leaving Parliament in 2010, Ruth Kelly started a new career. She became the Global Head of Client Strategy at HSBC, a large bank.
In 2015, she moved to St Mary's University as Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise. She later left this role to work for the Vatican on its financial matters.
In 2018, she left the Labour Party after nearly 30 years of membership. In 2022, she joined the think tank Policy Exchange. In March 2023, she became the chair of Water UK.
See also
- Cabinet of the United Kingdom
- List of Northern Ireland members of the Privy Council
