Jacqui Smith
biography.
Jacqui Smith is 47 and
entered Parliament as MP for Redditch, Inkberrow, Feckenham and
Cookhill in 1997.
Jacqui grew up in Malvern,
Worcestershire before moving to Redditch in 1986. She still
lives in Redditch with husband, Richard and sons James (13) and
Michael (8).
A graduate of Hertford
College, Oxford, Jacqui took up teaching in 1986 at Arrow Vale
High School in Redditch. She taught Business Studies and
Economics rising to become Head of Economics at Haybridge High
School in Hagley before the General Election in
1997.
Since becoming an MP
Jacqui has served on the Treasury Select Committee and was promoted
to government in 1999. As one of the youngest ministers, she
served for two years as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at
the Department for Education.
After successfully
defending her seat in 2001 she was again promoted to become
Minister of State for Health with responsibility for Social
Services and since then she has been promoted again to be Minister
of State at the Department for Trade and Industry and Deputy
Minister for Women.
After the 2005 General Election she
became Minister of State for Schools.
In May 2006 the Prime
Minister asked Jacqui to join the Cabinet as Chief Whip.
When Prime
Minister Tony Blair stepped down and Gordon Brown became the
new Prime Minister, Jacqui was named in his cabinet as Home
Secretary on 6th October 2008. Jacqui is the first woman in British
History to fill this post.
Jacqui stepped down from being Home Sec in 2009 after two years
in post.
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