Emily Thornberry MP

emilythornberrymp@parliament.uk

I live in Islington with my husband and three

children. I moved there 18 years ago after my
brothers and I were brought up by my mother on
a large council estate outside London.

As a single parent on benefits, life was hard for

my mother. But without a doubt, Labour‟s
minimum wage, nursery provision, and flexible
working would have really helped her. That‟s
why I‟m Labour.

Despite having failed the 11+, I became a

barrister in the chambers of Mike Mansfield Q.C.,
where I spent nearly 20 years representing the
poorest and most marginalised. In the early 80s I
represented miners in danger of being criminal-
ised by the strike and joined the T&G.

Our great strength as a party has always been

that we are a progressive coalition. As a member
of the Shadow Cabinet, I would seek to re-engage
with our voters, bring over former Lib Dems and
Greens, and appeal to voters who have left us.

Emily Thornberry MP
Islington South & Finsbury Emily Thornberry MP
Emily Thornberry
MP for Islington South & Finsbury
Shadow Energy & Climate Change Minister
Seconding the Queen’s Speech
As a backbencher I worked with colleagues, both
inside and outside Parliament, to change the law:
 I sponsored the original Climate Change Bill
(despite what he says, David Cameron was
nowhere to be seen!).
 I introduced a private members‟ bill to make
housing associations more accountable to
their tenants.
 I successfully piloted the Law Commission Act
2010 through the Commons. This gave the
Commission the teeth they have wanted for
the past 20 years.
Consulting housing association
tenants in Parliament
Winning back voters’ trust
I can‟t work out which is worse: Clegg‟s claim to be the
champion of “fairness” or Osborne‟s claim that “we‟re
all in it together”.
The Comprehensive Spending Review in October is a
golden chance to expose them.
When we take apart the Government‟s plans, it‟s vital
we respond credibly and coherently. We need to offer
voters a fairer alternative – one that they can identify
with and recognise as on their side.
We need to regain our confidence. In government,
Labour all too often felt like squatters. The Tories have
an air that suggests they have the right to govern; we
need to show them they do not.
Fighting the Tories and
Lib Dems on the ground
Despite being the Lib Dems‟ #1 target seat, I was
elected in 2005 with a majority of 484.
We had no Labour Councillors at all. But in 2010 –
after 5 years of fighting the local Lib Dem Council
– we won 21 out of 24 councillors and a
parliamentary majority of 3,569.
At Conference I hold „Beating the Lib Dems‟
sessions – sharing materials with fellow MPs,
candidates, and activists - and in Parliament I‟ve
put together climate change campaign templates
to share around the PLP.
As a member of the Shadow Cabinet, I‟d make
sure what I do helps you fight the Government and
win people back to Labour.