Karen Buck
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Karen Patricia Buck (born August 30, 1958) British politician. She is the Labour member of Parliament for Regent's Park and Kensington North and a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.
Born in Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, she was educated at the Chelmsford High School and the London School of Economics, from where she was awarded a degree and a Master's Degree in Economics, and a Masters in Social Policy and Administration. In 1979 she became a research and development worker with Outset, a charity working with disabled people, before joining the Hackney Borough Council in 1983 initially as a senior disability officer, and from 1986 a public health officer. She went to work for the Labour Party in 1987 as a health directorate researcher, becoming a campaign strategy coordinator in 1992. She was elected as a councillor to the City of Westminster Council in 1990 and remained on the council until her election to the Palace of Westminster.
Karen Buck contested the new seat of Regent's Park and Kensington North, a seat based largely on the former Westminster North held narrowly by the Conservative former minister John Wheeler. Wheeler retired, and Karen Buck was elected at the 1997 General Election as the Labour MP for Regent's Park and Kensington North with a majority of 14,657 and has been the MP there since. She made her maiden speech on June 17, 1997.
Following her election to parliament, Karen Buck joined the Social Security Select Committee, and after the 2001 General Election on the Work and Pensions Select Committee. In 2001 her appointment as an Assistant Government Whip was announced without her knowledge and consent. She declined to take up the post. However, she did became a member of Tony Blair's government in the wake of the 2005 General Election as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.
Karen Buck made her name whilst a councillor at Westminster when she was involved in exposing fraudulent behaviour of Shirley Porter[1] and the Votes for Homes Scandal. Her constituency houses both Notting Hill the home of the carnival, and Lord's Cricket Ground the home of cricket and the Marylebone Cricket Club. Her partner is Barrie Taylor and they have a son.
