Recent from talks
Dawn Butler
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Dawn Butler
Dawn Petula Butler (born 3 November 1969) is a British Labour Party politician who is member of parliament (MP) for Brent East. She previously served as MP for Brent Central (2015–2024) and Brent South (2005–2010).
Born in London to Jamaican parents, prior to entering politics Butler served as a trade union officer and adviser to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. She was elected as the MP for Brent South at the 2005 general election. She served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office and Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement from 2009 to 2010. Her seat was abolished prior to the 2010 general election, being replaced by Brent Central, which was won by Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather. She returned to parliament as the MP for Brent Central at the 2015 general election. Initially a supporter of Andy Burnham, Butler later became a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition.
In October 2016, Butler was appointed to the new role of Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities by Corbyn following his re-election as Labour leader. In February 2017, she resigned to vote against the triggering of Article 50, which formally launched the Brexit negotiations, but returned to the portfolio in June of that year before being promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities in the August. She stood in the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election and came last, in fifth place. She was removed from the Shadow Cabinet by new Labour leader Keir Starmer in 2020 and returned to the backbenches.
Butler was born Dawn Petula Butler in Forest Gate in east London,[citation needed] to Jamaican immigrant parents Milo and Ambrozene Butler; she has one sister and four brothers. She was educated at Tom Hood School in Leytonstone and Waltham Forest College, both in London. She worked as an officer of the GMB Union, including time as a national race and equality officer. Butler was also an adviser to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, on employment and social issues.
Butler first sought selection to be a Labour parliamentary candidate in Hackney South and Shoreditch but was unsuccessful. Butler put herself forward for selection for West Ham in 2005 but was not selected. Following the retirement of Paul Boateng to become British High Commissioner to South Africa, she was selected as the Labour candidate in Brent South and retained the seat for her party at the 2005 general election with a majority of 11,326. She was the third black woman to become a British MP after Diane Abbott and Oona King.
Interest in youth services continued as one of her main interests in parliament. On 24 October 2006, she was appointed chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs, and she is an honorary vice president of the British Youth Council. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in June 2007, Butler was made one of the Labour Party's six vice chairs, with particular responsibility for youth issues.
In 2006, Butler voted against investigations into the Iraq War. She subsequently voted against investigations a further six times up until 2016. She explained that this was because she believed that it would be wrong to hold investigations "while we still had troops in Iraq ... If you held an inquiry while the troops were still out there doing their best to fight for the country, it would have been soul-destroying for them."
She was appointed to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons shortly after her election, and served on standing committees. In November 2007 she was appointed to the Children, Schools and Families Committee. Earlier (in November 2005), she had been promoted to Parliamentary Private Secretary to the health minister Jane Kennedy, but decided to stand down from this post in early 2006. She was promoted to assistant whip on 12 September 2008.
Hub AI
Dawn Butler AI simulator
(@Dawn Butler_simulator)
Dawn Butler
Dawn Petula Butler (born 3 November 1969) is a British Labour Party politician who is member of parliament (MP) for Brent East. She previously served as MP for Brent Central (2015–2024) and Brent South (2005–2010).
Born in London to Jamaican parents, prior to entering politics Butler served as a trade union officer and adviser to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. She was elected as the MP for Brent South at the 2005 general election. She served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office and Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement from 2009 to 2010. Her seat was abolished prior to the 2010 general election, being replaced by Brent Central, which was won by Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Teather. She returned to parliament as the MP for Brent Central at the 2015 general election. Initially a supporter of Andy Burnham, Butler later became a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition.
In October 2016, Butler was appointed to the new role of Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities by Corbyn following his re-election as Labour leader. In February 2017, she resigned to vote against the triggering of Article 50, which formally launched the Brexit negotiations, but returned to the portfolio in June of that year before being promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities in the August. She stood in the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election and came last, in fifth place. She was removed from the Shadow Cabinet by new Labour leader Keir Starmer in 2020 and returned to the backbenches.
Butler was born Dawn Petula Butler in Forest Gate in east London,[citation needed] to Jamaican immigrant parents Milo and Ambrozene Butler; she has one sister and four brothers. She was educated at Tom Hood School in Leytonstone and Waltham Forest College, both in London. She worked as an officer of the GMB Union, including time as a national race and equality officer. Butler was also an adviser to the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, on employment and social issues.
Butler first sought selection to be a Labour parliamentary candidate in Hackney South and Shoreditch but was unsuccessful. Butler put herself forward for selection for West Ham in 2005 but was not selected. Following the retirement of Paul Boateng to become British High Commissioner to South Africa, she was selected as the Labour candidate in Brent South and retained the seat for her party at the 2005 general election with a majority of 11,326. She was the third black woman to become a British MP after Diane Abbott and Oona King.
Interest in youth services continued as one of her main interests in parliament. On 24 October 2006, she was appointed chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs, and she is an honorary vice president of the British Youth Council. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in June 2007, Butler was made one of the Labour Party's six vice chairs, with particular responsibility for youth issues.
In 2006, Butler voted against investigations into the Iraq War. She subsequently voted against investigations a further six times up until 2016. She explained that this was because she believed that it would be wrong to hold investigations "while we still had troops in Iraq ... If you held an inquiry while the troops were still out there doing their best to fight for the country, it would have been soul-destroying for them."
She was appointed to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons shortly after her election, and served on standing committees. In November 2007 she was appointed to the Children, Schools and Families Committee. Earlier (in November 2005), she had been promoted to Parliamentary Private Secretary to the health minister Jane Kennedy, but decided to stand down from this post in early 2006. She was promoted to assistant whip on 12 September 2008.
Recent media