The Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP

The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal, Minister for Women and Labour Party Chair on 28 June 2007.

Harriet qualified as a lawyer, worked at Brent Law Centre in London, then became legal officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties and was elected MP for Camberwell and Peckham following a by-election in 1982. In 1984 she was appointed to the Labour front-bench as spokesperson for Social Services, becoming Spokesperson for Health in 1987 and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Labour's Shadow Cabinet in 1992.

She was appointed as Secretary of State for Social Security in 1997 and Minister for Women in the same year. She was appointed Solicitor General in June 2001. She was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 9 May 2005. She was appointed as Minister of State at the new Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007. Studied politics at York University, then qualified as a lawyer.

Harriet said

“I am delighted to now be Minister for Women. This Labour government is committed to increasing the life chances and opportunities for everybody and I am determined to build on our successes and strike at the heart of the issues affecting the daily lives of women, and men, across Britain.

We are the party of the family and while David Cameron is trying to paint himself as family friendly we should not give the Tory cynical opportunism a second thought. Cameron is only interested in women for one thing - their votes!"