| Chi Onwurah MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Jim Cousins |
| Majority | 7,466 (21.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1965 Wallsend, Northumberland (now Tyne and Wear), England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | www.chionwurahmp.com |
Chinyelu Susan "Chi" Onwurah[1] (born 12 April 1965)[2] is a British Labour Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, replacing the previous Labour MP Jim Cousins, who decided to step down.[3] She is Newcastle's first black MP.
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During the depression of the 1930s, Onwurah’s maternal grandfather was a sheet metal worker in Tyneside shipyards. Her mother grew up in poverty in Garth Heads on Newcastle’s quayside. Her father, from Nigeria, was working as a dentist while he studied at Newcastle Medical School when they met and married in the 1950s.
Born in 1965, Onwurah's family moved to Awka, Nigeria when she was still a baby. Just two years later the Biafran Civil War broke out bringing famine with it, forcing her mother to bring the children back to Newcastle, whilst her father stayed on in the Biafran army.[4]
Onwurah went on to gain a degree in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College London in 1987.[5] She worked in hardware and software development, product management, market development and strategy for a variety of mainly private sector companies in a number of different countries – Britain, France, US, Nigeria and Denmark while studying for an MBA at Manchester Business School.
Prior to becoming an MP she was Head of Telecoms Technology at OFCOM, with a focus on broadband provision.
Onwurah was very active in the Anti Apartheid Movement, and spent many years on its National Executive, and that of its successor organisation, ACTSA. She also joined the Advisory Board of the Open University Business School. Onwurah supported Ed Miliband in the 2010 Labour Party leadership election.[6] Miliband appointed Onwurah as a junior shadow minister for Business, Innovation and Skills on 10 October 2010.
Outside of politics Onwurah enjoys music, reading and long walks in the countryside.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Cousins |
Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central 2010–present |
Incumbent |