Hazel Blears: Difference between revisions

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	After the election she became the ] (PPS) to the Minister of State at the ] ] until ]. She spent ten months in ] as PPS to the ] ]. As a keen supporter of ], after the ], Hazel Blears entered ]'s government as the ] at the Department of Health, and she was promoted in ] as Minister of State at the Home Office and was responsible for policing and crime reduction. She was elected to the ] of the Labour Party in 2003. After the ], on ], ] she became a ]. In a cabinet reshuffle following Council Elections on May 4th 2006 she was promoted to Party Chairman replacing ].		After the election she became the ] (PPS) to the Minister of State at the ] ] until ]. She spent ten months in ] as PPS to the ] ]. As a keen supporter of ], after the ], Hazel Blears entered ]'s government as the ] at the Department of Health, and she was promoted in ] as Minister of State at the Home Office and was responsible for policing and crime reduction. She was elected to the ] of the Labour Party in 2003. After the ], on ], ] she became a ]. In a cabinet reshuffle following Council Elections on May 4th 2006 she was promoted to Party Chairman replacing ].

	A point of contention in Ms Blears constituency is the rationalisation of the health service in this area. As Labour party chair, she took the unprecedented step of strategically planning health service cuts that would be optimised in seats that either did not elect Labour MP’s or would ever be likely to do so. Safe Labour seats were deemed possible targets of cuts whereas marginal Labour seats were seen as crucial to the long-term interest of the government and therefore the Labour Parties parliamentary majority.

	The decision to attend such a meeting has caused Ms Blears a local problem in her constituency as it has been short listed for swinging cuts in services and the diversion of financial resources in an experiment that may cost peoples lives. Due to expected boundary changes and the amalgamation of two parliamentary seats which encompasses Ms Blears current seat, she will have to undergo a bloody and vicious contest with rival candidates to be adopted in this new seat.

	This has lead Ms Blears to undergo a second unprecedented gesture in actively campaigning against a policy that she had collective cabinet responsibility for and more importantly been the Labour parties representative at the strategic planning stage. Given Ms Blears involvement in cabinet, strategic planning and formally holding the office of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health, her future in parliament is less than assurred.

	She has been married to Michael Halsall since ] and is a keen supporter of the ].		She has been married to Michael Halsall since ] and is a keen supporter of the ].

Revision as of 14:13, 2 January 2007

The Rt Hon Hazel Blears

Minister without Portfolio and Labour Party Chairman
In office May 5, 2006 – present
Preceded by	Ian McCartney
Constituency	Salford
Majority	7,945 (35.2%)

Personal details
Born	May 14, 1956
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Michael Halsall

Hazel Anne Blears MP (born May 14, 1956) is a British politician and is the Labour Member of Parliament for Salford. She has been Chairman of the Labour Party and Minister without Portfolio since May 5 2006.

Hazel Blears was born in Salford in 1956, the daughter of a maintenance fitter, and was educated at The Wardley Grammar School in Swinton, The Eccles Sixth Form College; Trent Polytechnic; and the Chester College of Law, where she received a degree in law in 1977.

Hazel Blears started her career in Salford as a trainee solicitor with the City of Salford Council in 1978. After two years, she went into private practice for a year, before joining Rossendale Borough Council as a solicitor in 1981 and in the same year was elected as a Branch Secretary in NALGO. In 1983 she became a solicitor for the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Council. In the following year, 1984 she was elected as a councillor to the Salford City Council and she served on the council until 1992. She was Chair of the Salford Community Health Council for several years.

At the 1997 general election she was chosen to contest her home town seat. Stan Orme, the local MP for over 30 years, retired with a Peerage. She was duly elected as the Labour MP for Salford.

After the election she became the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State at the Department of Health Alan Milburn until 1998. She spent ten months in 1999 as PPS to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Smith. As a keen supporter of Tony Blair, after the 2001 General Election, Hazel Blears entered Tony Blair's government as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health, and she was promoted in 2003 as Minister of State at the Home Office and was responsible for policing and crime reduction. She was elected to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 2003. After the 2005 General Election, on June 7, 2005 she became a Member of the Privy Council. In a cabinet reshuffle following Council Elections on May 4th 2006 she was promoted to Party Chairman replacing Ian McCartney.

She has been married to Michael Halsall since 1989 and is a keen supporter of the Lowry Centre.

External links

Hazel Blears MP Official site
Home Office - Hazel Blears MP Official biography
Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Hazel Blears MP
TheyWorkForYou.com - Hazel Blears MP

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