Debra Shipley | |
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Member of Parliament for Stourbridge |
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In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005 |
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Preceded by | Constituency Established |
Succeeded by | Lynda Waltho |
Personal details | |
Born | 22 June 1957 |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse(s) | Simon Molesworth |
Debra Ann Shipley (born 22 June 1957) is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Stourbridge from 1997 until the 2005 general election, when she stood down for reasons of ill health.[1] She was succeeded by Lynda Waltho, also from the Labour Party.
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Shipley was selected to stand for election for Labour through an all-women shortlist.[2] This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws.[3] Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
As an MP, Shipley's most significant initiative was the Protection of Children Act, which passed with cross-party support, it requires that childcare organizations now check new staff against a newly-created registry of child abusers. Shipley was also responsible for the Children's Food Bill, which called for the removal of "unhealthy" food from school vending machines and improvements to school meals.[4] The latter bill attracted the support of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.[4]
Shipley served on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee and she was Parliamentary Ambassador for NSPCC, in which capacity she fronted the "Full Stop" Campaign in Parliament. Shipley generally voted along with her party, and consistently voted in favour of equal rights for homosexuals.[5]
Shipley was married to Simon Molesworth, who died of cancer in 2004, a year prior to her own diagnosis with breast cancer.[4]
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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New constituency | Member of Parliament for Stourbridge 1997–2005 |
Succeeded by Lynda Waltho |