Emily Thornberry Biography

(Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury Since 2005)

Birthday: July 27, 1960 (Leo)

Born In: Guildford, Surrey, England

British politician Emily Thornberry has been serving as the Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005 and as the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales since 2021. Though born to a teacher and a diplomat, she had a tough childhood after her parents’ divorce. While she was inspired by her single mother who joined politics and became a councillor and mayor, Thornberry later worked odd jobs as a cleaner and barmaid to afford her education. Starting her career as a human rights lawyer and a workers’ union representative, she contested in her first election in Canterbury in 2001. Throughout her career, she has been focused on issues such as the housing crisis, climate change, and equality. One of the shadow cabinet’s longest-serving members, she has held shadow posts in defense, employment, health, foreign affairs, and energy. She resigned from Ed Miliband’s cabinet after being accused of being snobbish, over a Twitter picture caption row, in 2014 but made a comeback in 2015.

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Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In July

Also Known As: Emily Anne Thornberry

Age: 64 Years, 64 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Christopher Nugee

father: Cedric Thornberry

mother: Sallie Thornberry

Born Country: England

Activists Political Leaders

Notable Alumni: University Of Kent

More Facts

education: University Of Kent

  • 1

    What is Emily Thornberry's stance on Brexit?

    Emily Thornberry is a vocal supporter of remaining in the European Union and has been critical of the Brexit process.
  • 2

    What is Emily Thornberry's role in the Labour Party?

    Emily Thornberry is a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party and has served in various shadow cabinet positions.
  • 3

    What are Emily Thornberry's key political beliefs?

    Emily Thornberry is known for her advocacy on social justice issues, gender equality, and human rights.
  • 4

    Has Emily Thornberry held any ministerial positions?

    Yes, Emily Thornberry has served as Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Brexit Secretary in the Labour Party.
  • 5

    What is Emily Thornberry's educational background?

    Emily Thornberry studied law at the University of Kent before pursuing a career in politics.
Childhood, Early Life & Education

Emily Anne Thornberry was born on July 27, 1960, in Guildford, Surrey, England. Her mother, Sallie Thornberry (née Bone), was a teacher, while her father, Cedric Thornberry, taught international law at the London School of Economics and then served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General.

However, she spent her early years surviving on benefits, as her parents got divorced when she was 7. A local Labour councillor helped her, her mother, and her two brothers find a house and convinced Thornberry’s mother to run for the council.

Her mother later served as a councillor and mayor. Thornberry was in her teens when she joined the Labour Party. After failing her 11-plus exams, she attended a secondary modern and then moved to Hammersmith to finish her A-levels.

While Emily Thornberry began staying with her father at 15, her father went to serve the UN when she was 17. She had to work as a cleaner and barmaid in London to afford her education.

She then joined the University of Kent in Canterbury to study law and graduated in 1982. Even while at the university, she took up odd jobs such as working in a care home and cleaning toilets on ferries. She was also part of the university students’ union and served as its full-time officer.

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Career

Emily Thornberry started her career as a human rights lawyer in 1985 and then worked as a representative of striking mining workers, Wapping printers, and P&O seafarers. She was also part of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

She also worked on her Labour campaign in East London and fought against the rise of the National Front at the same time. In 2001, Thornberry contested in her first election in Canterbury. There, she increased Labour’s vote share considerably.

In 2005, she contested in Islington South and Finsbury. She personally knocked on all 11,800 doors of the constituency during her campaign and won by 484 votes.

She thus took over as the MP for Islington South and Finsbury on May 6, 2005. She has been re-elected multiple times since then.

Throughout her career, she has worked relentlessly on issues such as the housing crisis, the climate change issue, and social equality. She is also one of the shadow cabinet’s longest continually serving members. In 2006, she initiated the housing association bill, which was a private member’s bill geared toward improving the control and power of housing association residents over landlords.

In 2009, Emily Thornberry was named a ministerial aide for Energy and Climate Change. She became the Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change and the Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care in 2010.

In October 2011, in Ed Miliband’s first reshuffle, she was named the Shadow Attorney General. In 2014, accused of snobbery, she resigned from Ed Miliband's team. Reportedly, in November 2014, she had tweeted a picture of a house adorned with St. George’s flags and the owner’s white van parked outside and had captioned it as “image from Rochester.”

She was criticized for being disrespectful and snobbish toward the homeowner Dan Ware. She later apologized for the incident.

Then-PM David Cameron, too, criticized her actions using strong words. She then returned to the front bench in September 2015, when she was elected as Shadow Employment Minister by Jeremy Corbyn.

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Since 2016, she has covered significant areas such as Defense, Foreign Affairs, Brexit, and International Trade. She was named the Shadow Secretary of State for Defense in 2016. From 2016 to 2020, she has served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

During the 2017 election campaign, Thornberry replaced Diane Abbott and appeared on the Radio 4 show Woman's Hour. She apparently looked for Labour figures in her handbag while she was live on air. However, even with the Labour manifesto right in front of her, she failed to give an accurate figure.

From 2017 to 2020, Emily Thornberry has been the Shadow First Secretary of State. From 2020 to 2021, she was the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and the Shadow President of the Board of Trade. On November 29, 2021, she assumed office as the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales.

In December 2019, Thornberry was the first candidate to declare the Labour Party wanted to replace Jeremy Corbyn as their leader in the 2020 leadership election, owing to the party’s poor show in the 2019 general election. Though she was initially a contender for the party leader’s role, she withdrew from the race after she failed to get the minimum requirement of 33 nominations.

In January 2020, she publicly stated that she had failed to explain her motives behind mocking Dan Ware for displaying three white England flags in front of his house in 2014. Over the years, she has criticized many of her fellow politicians.

She once called Boris Johnson a "reckless liar" and stated he was surrounded by "Rasputin-like" cronies. She also criticized him for his handling of the Brexit issue. Thornberry also criticized strategist Dominic Cummings.

Personal Life

Emily Thornberry met her husband, Christopher Nugee, at the Kent University law school. They married in July 1991.

Nugee has been a High Court judge and a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. He was also knighted. The couple has three children: a daughter and two sons. The family now lives in Islington, London.

Facts About Emily Thornberry
Emily Thornberry is known for her love of karaoke and has been spotted singing her heart out at various events.
She is a skilled knitter and often creates intricate designs in her spare time.
Thornberry is an avid birdwatcher and enjoys spending time in nature observing different species.
She is a passionate cook and loves experimenting with new recipes, often sharing her creations with friends and family.
Emily Thornberry is a dedicated supporter of local charities and community initiatives, often getting involved in fundraising events and volunteering her time to help others.

See the events in life of Emily Thornberry in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Emily Thornberry Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
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URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/emily-thornberry-52602.php

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