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Kim Johnson (politician)
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Kim Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Louise Ellman |
| Majority | 14,793 (45.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kim Marie Johnson 25 August 1966 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present) |
Kim Marie Johnson[1] (born 25 August 1966) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Riverside since 2019.[2][3][4]
Early life and career
[edit]Kim Johnson was born in Liverpool on the 25 August 1966,[5] the daughter of Joseph Johnson and Kathleen Johnson. She has a Diploma in Youth and Community Work, a BA in Social Studies, and a Postgraduate Certificate.[6]
Since 2015, Johnson has been the Chairperson of Squash Liverpool, a community interest company. In 2020, she became a patron of Mandela8.[6]
Prior to becoming an MP, Johnson was a Unison shop steward. She held a role of creative diversity manager in the Capital of Culture bid team, representing the longest established black community in the country.[7]
Parliamentary career
[edit]On 4 November 2019, Johnson was selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool Riverside by a panel made up of national, regional and local party representatives.[8] At the 2019 general election, Johnson was elected to Parliament with 78.0% of the vote and a majority of 37,043.[9][10]
Johnson sits on the Women and Equalities Committee, Education Committee and the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art.[11]
On 15 October 2020, Johnson resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Angela Rayner to vote against the proposed Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, disagreeing with the Labour whip to abstain.[12]
On 10 May 2021, Johnson publicly described the shadow cabinet reshuffle, and specifically leader Keir Starmer's treatment of Rayner, as a "despicable act of cowardice".[13] She again criticised the leadership after Starmer wrote an article for The Sun, a newspaper many in her Liverpool constituency had been boycotting after its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.[14]
In February 2022, Johnson was re-selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool Riverside at the 2024 general election.[15]
In June 2022, Johnson accused Merseyside Police of being "institutionally racist" after officers carried out an armed stop and search of two black men in Liverpool.[16]
In February 2023, while asking a question at Prime Minister's Questions, Johnson described the Israeli government as "fascist". A spokesperson for the Labour Party described Johnson's comments as "completely unacceptable". Later the same day, Johnson raised a point of order in the House of Commons and apologised "unreservedly" for her language.[17]
At the 2024 general election, Johnson was re-elected as MP for Liverpool Riverside with a decreased vote share of 61.9% and a decreased majority of 14,793.[18]
Personal life
[edit]Johnson has a son and daughter.[6] Her grandmother, Mary Higgins, was born in Dublin and Johnson has said that she is 'very proud of her Irish heritage'. [5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Liverpool Riverside gets the city's first ever black MP". ITV. 13 December 2019.
- ^ Colchester, Max (3 August 2020). "In a City Built on the Slave Trade, Britain's Oldest Black Community Seeks a Reckoning". The Wall Street Journal.
Kim Johnson last year became Liverpool's first Black lawmaker.
- ^ Johnson, Kim (27 March 2020). ""We are a resilient city and we will always fight back" – Kim Johnson's maiden speech". LabourList.
I am immensely proud to have been elected as the first black MP for Liverpool.
- ^ a b "Kim Johnson MP". YouTube. 29 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Johnson, Kim Marie, MP (Lab) Liverpool Riverside, since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2020. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u293925. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Kim Johnson - latest news and information on the Labour Party candidate for Riverside". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ Rodgers, Sienna (4 November 2019). "Kim Johnson chosen to replace Louise Ellman in Liverpool Riverside". LabourList. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "Statement of persons nominated 2019".
- ^ "Liverpool Riverside Parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
- ^ "Parliamentary Career for Kim Johnson MP". n.d. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Stewart, Heather (15 October 2020). "Two Labour frontbenchers quit over failure to oppose MI5 bill". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Labour reshuffle: Anneliese Dodds out in Starmer's post-election reshuffle". BBC News. 10 May 2021.
- ^ "MP calls for Labour leader to explain Sun article to Hillsborough families". BBC News. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Kim Johnson [@KimJohnsonMP] (17 February 2022). ""I am delighted to have been unanimously reselected…"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Liverpool MP condemns armed stop and search of two black men". BBC News. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "Keir Starmer Slams Labour MP Kim Johnson Who Called Israeli Government 'Fascist'". HuffPost UK. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Liverpool Riverside results". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
External links
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