Claire Ward

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Claire Margaret Ward
Government Whip and Lord Commissioner of HM Household
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Tristan Garel-Jones
Constituency	Watford
Majority	1,148

Born	9 May 1972 North Shields
Political party	Labour
Residence	Watford
Website	http://www.claire-ward.org.uk/

Although born in North Shields, Ward was brought up in Elstree and studied at the University of Hertfordshire. She was an active member of Young Labour and took the Young Labour place on the Labour Party National Executive Committee in 1995. She was also elected to Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council where she became Mayor. She was elected to Parliament in 1997, succeeding former Deputy Chief Whip Tristan Garel-Jones who retired, and defeating Robert Gordon of the Conservative Party. Her election was notable in that she was only 24, although she was not quite the youngest MP - being beaten by a few weeks by Christopher Leslie who unexpectedly won Shipley. In 2001 she retained her seat by 5,792 votes.

The increasing dominance of local politics in Watford Borough council by the Liberal Democrats, including the election of a Liberal Democrat Mayor, led to speculation that Ward would find re-election extremely difficult. However, she managed to hold off a strong Liberal Democrat challenge, despite a 12% swing against her in the 2005 general election holding the seat with a majority of just over 1,000 (2.3% of the electorate). The Conservative candidate was narrowly forced into third place, making Watford a three way marginal seat.