Kim Johnson (politician)

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Kim Johnson
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Riverside
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byLouise Ellman
Majority37,043 (70.2%)
Personal details
Born
Kim Marie Johnson

(1966-08-25) 25 August 1966 (age 57)
Political partyLabour
Other political
affiliations
Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present)

Kim Marie Johnson[1] (born 25 August 1966) is a British Labour Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Riverside since the 2019 general election.[2][3][4]

Early life and career

Kim is the daughter of Joseph Johnson and Kathleen Johnson. She has a Diploma in Youth and Community Work, a BA in Social Studies, and a Postgraduate Certificate.[5]

Since 2015, Johnson has been the Chairperson of Squash Liverpool, a community interest company. In 2020, she became a patron of Mandela8.[5]

Prior to becoming an MP, Johnson was a

shop steward. She held a role of creative diversity manager in the Capital of Culture bid team, representing the longest established black community in the country.[6]

Parliamentary career

On 4 November 2019, Johnson was selected as Labour's candidate for

anti-Semitism in the party.[8] Johnson was elected at the 2019 general election, winning 41,170 votes, representing 78.0% of the vote.[9] She sits on the Women and Equalities Committee, Education Committee and Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art.[10] She is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus.[citation needed
]

On 15 October 2020, Johnson resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary to

Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, disagreeing with the Labour whip to abstain.[11]

On 10 May 2021, Johnson publicly described the shadow cabinet reshuffle; specifically Keir Starmer's treatment of Angela Rayner as a "despicable act of cowardice".[12] She again criticised the leadership after Starmer wrote an article for The Sun, a newspaper many in her Liverpool constituency had been boycotting after its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.[13]

In June 2022, Johnson accused Merseyside Police of being "institutionally racist" after officers carried out an armed stop and search of two black men in Liverpool.[14]

In February 2023, while asking a question at Prime Minister's Questions, Johnson described the Israeli government as “fascist”. A spokesperson for the Labour Party described Johnson's comments as "completely unacceptable". Later the same day, Johnson raised a point of order in the House of Commons and apologised “unreservedly” for her language.[15]

Personal life

Johnson has a son and daughter.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Liverpool Riverside gets the city's first ever black MP". ITV. 13 December 2019.
  3. ^ Colchester, Max (3 August 2020). "In a City Built on the Slave Trade, Britain's Oldest Black Community Seeks a Reckoning". The Wall Street Journal. Kim Johnson last year became Liverpool's first Black lawmaker.
  4. ^ Johnson, Kim (27 March 2020). ""We are a resilient city and we will always fight back" – Kim Johnson's maiden speech". LabourList. I am immensely proud to have been elected as the first black MP for Liverpool.
  5. ^ . Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Kim Johnson - latest news and information on the Labour Party candidate for Riverside". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  7. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (4 November 2019). "Kim Johnson chosen to replace Louise Ellman in Liverpool Riverside". LabourList. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  8. ^ "MP Louise Ellman quits Labour Party". BBC News. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Liverpool Riverside Parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
  10. ^ "Parliamentary Career for Kim Johnson MP". n.d. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Stewart, Heather (15 October 2020). "Two Labour frontbenchers quit over failure to oppose MI5 bill". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Anneliese Dodds out in Starmer's post-election reshuffle". BBC News. 10 May 2021.
  13. ^ "MP calls for Labour leader to explain Sun article to Hillsborough families". BBC News. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Liverpool MP condemns armed stop and search of two black men". BBC News. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Keir Starmer Slams Labour MP Kim Johnson Who Called Israeli Government 'Fascist'". HuffPost UK. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Riverside

2019–present
Incumbent