| Debbie Abrahams MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 January 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Phil Woolas |
| Majority | 3,558 (10.2%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1960 Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | John Abrahams |
| Relations | 2 daughters |
| Residence | Newhey, Greater Manchester |
| Alma mater | University of Salford, University of Liverpool |
| Occupation | Public health consultant |
Deborah Angela Elspeth Abrahams (born 15 September 1960)[1] is a British politician, who has been the Labour Member of Parliament for the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency since a by-election in January 2011. Her previous career was as a public health consultant.
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Abrahams was born in Sheffield, the daughter of a dentist. She studied biochemistry and physiology at the University of Salford, and her early employment was as a community worker for a charity in Wythenshawe in south Manchester, where she set up job training programmes for teenagers.[2] She later studied for a Masters degree at the University of Liverpool. Abrahams was head of healthy cities for Knowsley and served on the board of Bury and Rochdale Health Authority.[2] In 2002 Abrahams was appointed chair of Rochdale Primary Care Trust.[3] In June 2006 she resigned from this role, expressing her anger at the use of private health companies in the NHS.[4]
From 2006 to 2010 she was Director of the International Health Impact Assessment Consortium at the University of Liverpool. She married John Abrahams, a former captain of Lancashire County cricket team, in the late 1980s. They have two daughters.[2]
Shortly after resigning from the Rochdale Primary Care Trust, Abrahams joined the Labour Party, declaring that she wanted "to challenge health policy at a local and national level to ensure that it reflects [the] core values" of the NHS. She was appointed by Simon Danczuk, then Labour candidate for Rochdale, as his advisor on health,[3] and she stood for Rochdale borough council in Milnrow and Newhey ward in the 2008 local elections.[5]
At the 2010 general election, Abrahams was the Labour Party candidate for Colne Valley;[6] she made a plea to Liberal Democrat voters to back her in order to stop the Conservatives winning power.[7] She was unsuccessful in retaining the seat, which had previously been held by Labour, and ended up in third place.[8] The victorious Conservative MP Jason McCartney said after the election that Abrahams had run "a good, positive campaign" and that in the light of bad-tempered exchanges between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, he was not surprised that she was close to coming second.[9] Shortly after the general election, Abrahams was selected to fight the Lib Dem held Golcar ward of Kirklees council at the 2011 local elections, she stood down from this in the run-in to the Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election however.
In December 2010 she was placed on a shortlist of three to be the Labour Party candidate for the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, with speculation that she was the preferred candidate.[10] She was selected as Labour's candidate and went on to win the seat with a majority of 3,558 with 42.1% of the vote.[11]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Phil Woolas |
MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth 2011 ––present |
Incumbent |