Sarah Teather

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Sarah Teather MP
Lib Dems spokesperson for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Incumbent
Assumed office  20 December 2007
Leader	Nick Clegg
Preceded by	Lembit Opik
Lib Dems spokesperson for Innovation, Universities and Skills
In office 4 July 2007 – 20 December 2007
Leader	Menzies Campbell
Preceded by	Department Created
Succeeded by	Stephen Williams
Lib Dems spokesperson for Education and Skills
In office 3 March 2006 – 4 July 2007
Preceded by	Edward Davey
Succeeded by	Department Abolished
Member of Parliament for Brent East
Incumbent
Assumed office  18 September 2003
Preceded by	Paul Daisley
Majority	2,712
Born	1 June 1974 (1974-06-01) (age 34) North London, United Kingdom
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Alma mater	St John's College, United Kingdom
Website	Official site

Sarah Louise Teather (born 1 June 1974^[1], London) is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent East, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay.^[2][3]

She was first elected on 18 September 2003 in the Brent East by-election and re-elected with an increased majority on 5 May 2005 in the 2005 general election.^[4]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Member of Parliament 2.1 Lib Dems Frontbench Team 2.2 Other activities 2.3 Boundary changes 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early life

She was educated at Leicester Grammar School and St John's College, University of Cambridge, where she gained a 2:1 degree in Natural Sciences specialising in pharmacology.^[5]

Teather initially embarked on a PhD at University College London, but left the course at the end of her first year. She went on to work as a policy advisor for a number of prominent groups including the Royal Society and the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief.^[6]

[edit] Member of Parliament

Teather first contested an election on 7 June 2001 in the seat of Finchley and Golders Green. On 3 May 2002 she became a councillor on Islington London Borough Council.^[7]

In 2003 she was selected as the party's candidate in the Brent East by-election, which was called after death of the Labour MP Paul Daisley.^[8]

The by-election took place during the early stages of the Iraq War. The Liberal Democrats came from third place behind Labour and the Conservatives, with a 39.12% share of the total and 1,118 majority.^[9]

The by-election was Labour's first by-election defeat in 15 years. Teather was the youngest member of the House, informally known as the "Baby of the House".^[10]

She subsequently resigned her seat on Islington Council, as well as her candidature for the GLA seat in North East London.

At the 2005 general election, Teather retained her seat and increased her majority.^[11]

[edit] Lib Dems Frontbench Team

In parliament Teather became one of the highest profile Liberal Democrat MPs. Initially acting as her party's spokesperson on London, after the 2005 general election she was promoted to the front bench to serve as the Liberal Democrat Spokeswoman on Community and Local Government. ^[12]

On 6 January 2006, 25 Liberal Democrat MPs signed a letter drafted by Teather and fellow frontbencher Ed Davey, indicating their unwillingness to continue working under party leader Charles Kennedy. The Guardian claimed the letter to be "the most damning" of the publicly expressed sentiments regarding Kennedy's position,^[13] and later that day Kennedy announced his resignation. Teather supported Menzies Campbell in the subsequent leadership election.^[14][15]

She was promoted again to Education Spokeswoman^[16] following Menzies Campbell's election as leader on 2 March 2006 and now acts as the party's spokesperon for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.^[17]

[edit] Other activities

In Autumn 2006, she spent a week observing in schools, writing a daily blog of the experience for Guardian Unlimited.^[18]

She established the All Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay in March 2007, and has used the group to campaign against the detention without charge of Jamil el-Banna, a constituent. She has visited Washington twice to lobby on his behalf, and also works closely on the case with the anti-death penalty charity, Reprieve and Amnesty International.^[19][20]

[edit] Boundary changes

Brent East and neighbouring Brent South are to be abolished at the next general election. On 31 August 2006 Teather announced her intention to stand for the new Brent Central constituency.^[21] She will face Labour MP Dawn Butler, the member for Brent South.

[edit] See also

• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sarah Teather MP official site
• Sarah Teather MP profile at the site of Liberal Democrats

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Paul Daisley	Member of Parliament for Brent East 2003 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by David Lammy	Baby of the House 2003–2005	Succeeded by Jo Swinson