Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Bell Ribeiro-Addy | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2019 | |
Shadow Minister for Immigration | |
In office 24 January 2020 – 9 April 2020 | |
Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
Preceded by | Afzal Khan |
Succeeded by | Holly Lynch |
Member of Parliament for Streatham | |
Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
Preceded by | Chuka Umunna |
Majority | 17,690 (31.3%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy 1 March 1985 Streatham, London |
Political party | Labour |
Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present) |
Alma mater | University of Bradford (BSc) Queen Mary University of London (MA) BPP Law School (GDL) |
Website | Official website |
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy (born 1 March 1985)[1] is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Streatham since the 2019 general election.[2][3] Solidly on the left of the Party, she considers herself a "life-long socialist" and a feminist[4] and was briefly Shadow Minister for Immigration in 2020.
Early life
Born and raised in Streatham, south London, Ribeiro-Addy grew up in a working-class family on a council estate on Brixton Hill. She is Christian and of Ghanaian descent.[4][5][6]
Ribeiro-Addy was able to attend the independent Streatham and Clapham High School on a scholarship. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science with Ethics & Philosophy of Science from the University of Bradford in 2006. She then completed a Master of Arts degree in Medical Law & Ethics at Queen Mary University of London, awarded in 2007, and a Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP Law School, awarded in 2015.[7]
She was the National Black Students' Officer for the National Union of Students (NUS) from 2008 to 2010, national co-ordinator of the Student Assembly Against Racism, and the national convenor of the NUS' Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism campaign.[8] In 2010, she and LGBT+ officer Daf Adley pushed the Durham Union Society to cancel a debate on multiculturalism, concerned for students' safety if BNP MEP Andrew Brons were to speak on campus.[9]
Political career
Before becoming an MP, Ribeiro-Addy was chief of staff to former Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott.[10] Ribeiro-Addy has served as a school governor at Saint Gabriel's College, Camberwell since 2018.
Ribeiro-Addy was elected as the Labour MP for Streatham in the 2019 general election with a majority of 17,690, reduced by more than 8,000.
Ribeiro-Addy in her maiden speech called for some form of reparations to former colonial subjects,[11] and spoke of the injustices faced by black people in Britain.[12] Bell Ribeiro-Addy In one of her first news interviews as an MP, she called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ghana, stating that "it is my duty to make sure all people are free, and not discriminated against."[13]
In January 2020, Ribeiro-Addy was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration, just weeks after her election as a member of parliament. She was not retained in the role following the election of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Leader.[14] Ribeiro-Addy became the co-chairperson of Labour's left-wing Socialist Campaign Group.
She has challenged the role of the media in devaluing black female MPs, particularly regarding errors by BBC Parliament and other outlets[15] involving the mislabelling of photos of black female Labour MPs.[16] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ribeiro-Addy called on the government to release people held in immigration detention centres.[17]
Ribeiro-Addy is a supporter of adopting a Zero-COVID strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote an article in June 2021 in support of delaying the lifting of lockdown, criticised a 'vaccine only' approach and called for the continuation of restrictions until case numbers reach zero.[18] In December 2021, she voted against the introduction of vaccine passports and mandatory vaccination of NHS staff.[19][20]
On 24 February 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ribeiro-Addy was one of 11 Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip after they signed a statement by the Stop the War Coalition which questioned the legitimacy of NATO and accused the military alliance of "eastward expansion". All 11 MPs subsequently removed their signatures.[21]
References
- ^ Brunskill, Ian, ed. (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. Times Books. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ Somerville, Ewan (13 December 2019). "Streatham constituency results 2019: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy wins". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Brobbey, Lucille (13 December 2019). "Streatham election results in full: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy gains seat". SW Londoner. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Local left candidate squares off Nov. 2 in Streatham V. two councillors from Blairite-dominated Lambeth". Skwawkbox. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Bokpe, Seth (13 December 2019). "UK elections: Two Ghanaian women win seats for Labour". The Ghana Report. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (Labour)". OBV. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "International Women's Day- Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy". Heart Streatham. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP". AKADi Magazine. No. 6: Ghanaians in Politics. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Tallentire, Mark (10 February 2010). "Student union apologises over BNP claim". Northern Echo.
- ^ Holmes, Tom (13 December 2019). "New Streatham MP vows not to give in to bigotry: 'I never thought I'd see the N-word so much'". SW Londoner. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ Shah, Hasit (6 October 2020). "What the UK owes in reparations". Quartz. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ Ribeiro-Addy, Bell (18 February 2020). "Being an MP doesn't make any difference - I still face racism in the workplace". The Guardian.
- ^ Apinga, David (2 January 2020). "Homosexuality: 'Allow people to do what they want' - British MP of Ghanaian descent". The Ghana Report.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy appointed as shadow immigration minister". The Voice Online. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "Black MP caption mistakes 'show lack of respect'". BBC News. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ Mohdin, Aamna; Jim Waterson (4 February 2020). "News outlets criticised for mislabelling photos of black MPs". The Guardian.
- ^ Dearden, Lizzie (1 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Immigration detainees must be released to stop spread of virus, Labour says". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Ribeiro-Addy, Bell (18 June 2021). "After a litany of Tory failures, why we still need a Zero Covid Strategy – Bell Ribeiro-Addy #Covid19UK". Labour Outlook. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Mortimer, Josiah (15 December 2021). "Here's how London MPs voted on Covid vaccine passports and mask rules". MyLondon. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "draft Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No.2) Regulations 2021". UK Parliament. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Wearmouth, Rachel (24 February 2022). "11 Labour MPs threatened with suspension for signing Stop The War letter attacking NATO". Mirror. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
External links
- Living people
- 1985 births
- 21st-century British women politicians
- Alumni of Queen Mary University of London
- Alumni of the University of Bradford
- Black British MPs
- Black British women politicians
- British anti-racism activists
- British socialist feminists
- English anti-fascists
- English Christian socialists
- English people of Ghanaian descent
- English socialists
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- People educated at Streatham and Clapham High School
- People from the London Borough of Lambeth
- School governors
- UK MPs 2019–present