Sue Hayman

Susan Mary Hayman, Baroness Hayman of Ullock (née Bentley; born 28 July 1962) is a British politician and life peer who has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Workington from 2015 to 2019. Hayman served as an Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2016 and Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities from 2016 to 2017, then as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2017 to 2019 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020.

She was a Shadow Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Opposition Whip from 2020, and a Shadow Spokesperson for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 2021.

Susan Mary Bentley was born on 28 July 1962 in Upper Bucklebury, Berkshire to John and Rita Bentley. She attended St Bartholomew's School in Newbury, and studied English literature at Anglia Ruskin University.

Her first job was working in a bookshop. She has also worked in social services. From 1997 to 2001, she worked as the office manager for MP Tess Kingham in Gloucester. She then worked as campaigns and communication manager for MP Mike Foster. Hayman worked in public relations as a consultant for Copper Consultancy where she was account director before becoming their head of public affairs. She then became a self-employed consultant.

Hayman was third on Labour's party list for West Midlands in the 2004 European Parliament election but was not elected as an MEP. She stood as a candidate in the 2005 general election for Preseli Pembrokeshire after the incumbent Labour MP, Jackie Lawrence, stood down. Hayman lost to Conservative Stephen Crabb. In the 2010 general election, she contested Halesowen and Rowley Regis. The constituency had been represented by Labour MP Sylvia Heal since 1997. Hayman lost the seat to Conservative James Morris.

Hayman was elected to represent Howgate division on Cumbria County Council in 2013, on which she later became vice-chair of the Children's Scrutiny Committee. She resigned her seat shortly after her election to Parliament in 2015.

She was elected as MP for the all women shortlist seat of Workington in the 2015 general election, she became the first female MP to represent a constituency in Cumbria. From July to October 2015, she sat on the Justice Select Committee. Hayman was an opposition whip from September 2015 to October 2016. She campaigned against the closure of Workington's magistrates court. In February 2016, the Ministry of Justice announced that the court would not be closed.

She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election. Following Corbyn's re-election as Labour leader, she was appointed to the new Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities post in October 2016. In February 2017, she was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs after Rachael Maskell's resignation.