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'''Valerie Carol Marian Vaz'''<ref>{{cite web | title = Profile: Valerie Carol Marian Vaz|url = http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251368 | website = ukwhoswho.com | publisher = [[UK Who's Who]] | access-date = 12 May 2015 }}</ref> (born 7 December 1954) is a British politician and [[solicitor]] who has served as the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Walsall South]] since [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]. A member of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], she was [[Shadow Leader of the House of Commons]] from 2016 to 2021 in the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinets]] of [[Jeremy Corbyn]] and [[Keir Starmer]].
'''Valerie Carol Marian Vaz'''<ref>{{cite web | title = Profile: Valerie Carol Marian Vaz|url = http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251368 | website = ukwhoswho.com | publisher = [[UK Who's Who]] | access-date = 12 May 2015 }}</ref> (born 7 December 1954) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician and [[solicitor]] who has been the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Walsall South]] since [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]. She was [[Shadow Leader of the House of Commons]] from 2016 to 2021 in the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinets]] of [[Jeremy Corbyn]] and [[Keir Starmer]].


==Early life and career==
==Background==
Vaz was born in [[Colony of Aden|Aden]] (now part of [[Yemen]]) to Anthony Xavier and Merlyn Verona Vaz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-251368|title=Vaz, Valerie Carol Marian – WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|website=Ukwhoswho.com|access-date=14 March 2019|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U251368|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}}</ref> Her family originates from [[Goa]], [[India]], and settled in [[Twickenham]] and then [[East Sheen]], London.<ref name=val>{{cite web|url=http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk/about-valerie/|title=About Valerie | website = valerievazmp.co.uk | publisher = Valerie Vaz MP|access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref> Vaz is a distant relative of [[Joseph Vaz|Saint Joseph Vaz]], a 17th-century missionary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/09/18/relative-of-british-mp-to-become-sri-lankas-first-saint/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140920010333/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/09/18/relative-of-british-mp-to-become-sri-lankas-first-saint/|url-status=dead|title=Relative of British MP to become Sri Lanka's first saint &#124; CatholicHerald.co.uk|archive-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> Her father, previously a correspondent for ''[[The Times of India]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/04/keith-vaz-one-scandal-too-many-for-the-publicity-seeking-mp|title=Keith Vaz: one scandal too many for the publicity-seeking MP|first=Helen Pidd North of England|last=editor|date=4 September 2016|access-date=14 March 2019|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> worked in the airline industry, while her mother worked two jobs, as a teacher and for [[Marks & Spencer]]. Her father died by suicide when she was 16.<ref name="Personal">{{cite news|last=Laville|first=Sandra |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jan/02/keith-vaz-jacintha-saldanha-children-this-could-be-me|title=Keith Vaz on Jacintha Saldanha's children: This could be me 42 years ago'|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=2 January 2013|access-date = 4 January 2013}}</ref>
Valerie Vaz was born on 7 December 1954 in [[Colony of Aden|Aden]] (now part of [[Yemen]]) to Anthony Xavier and Merlyn Verona Vaz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-251368|title=Vaz, Valerie Carol Marian – WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|website=Ukwhoswho.com|access-date=14 March 2019|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U251368|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}}</ref> Her family originates from [[Goa]], [[India]], and settled in [[Twickenham]] and then [[East Sheen]], London.<ref name=val>{{cite web|url=http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk/about-valerie/|title=About Valerie | website = valerievazmp.co.uk | publisher = Valerie Vaz MP|access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref> Vaz is a distant relative of [[Joseph Vaz|Saint Joseph Vaz]], a 17th-century missionary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/09/18/relative-of-british-mp-to-become-sri-lankas-first-saint/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140920010333/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/09/18/relative-of-british-mp-to-become-sri-lankas-first-saint/|url-status=dead|title=Relative of British MP to become Sri Lanka's first saint &#124; CatholicHerald.co.uk|archive-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> Her father, previously a correspondent for ''[[The Times of India]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/04/keith-vaz-one-scandal-too-many-for-the-publicity-seeking-mp|title=Keith Vaz: one scandal too many for the publicity-seeking MP|first=Helen Pidd North of England|last=editor|date=4 September 2016|access-date=14 March 2019|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> worked in the airline industry, while her mother worked two jobs, as a teacher and for [[Marks & Spencer]]. Her father died by suicide when she was 16.<ref name="Personal">{{cite news|last=Laville|first=Sandra |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jan/02/keith-vaz-jacintha-saldanha-children-this-could-be-me|title=Keith Vaz on Jacintha Saldanha's children: This could be me 42 years ago'|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=2 January 2013|access-date = 4 January 2013}}</ref>


Vaz was educated at [[Twickenham County School for Girls#Twickenham County School for Girls|Twickenham County Grammar School]]<ref name=val/> and later [[Bedford College (London)|Bedford College]]. She attended the [[University of London]], where she completed a [[BSc (Hons)]] degree in [[Biochemistry]] in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210|title=Election highs for Royal Holloway alumni|work=www.rhul.ac.uk|access-date=24 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609085453/http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210|archive-date=9 June 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The same year, she matriculated at [[Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge]], to do research, but did not take a degree.<ref>The Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991, Cambridge University Press, p. 1394</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.valerievazmp.co.uk/about-valerie|title=Personal website autobiography|access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>
Vaz was educated at [[Twickenham County School for Girls#Twickenham County School for Girls|Twickenham County Grammar School]]<ref name=val/> and later [[Bedford College (London)|Bedford College]]. She attended the [[University of London]], where she completed a [[BSc (Hons)]] degree in [[Biochemistry]] in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210|title=Election highs for Royal Holloway alumni|work=www.rhul.ac.uk|access-date=24 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609085453/http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210|archive-date=9 June 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The same year, she matriculated at [[Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge]] to do research, but did not take a degree.<ref>The Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991, Cambridge University Press, p. 1394</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.valerievazmp.co.uk/about-valerie|title=Personal website autobiography|access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>


In 1984 she qualified as a [[solicitor]]<ref name=val/> and subsequently worked on legal issues for local government in London. She set up her own law firm, Townsend Vaz Solicitors,<ref name=val/> and has sat as a Deputy District Judge in the County Court on the Midland and Oxford Circuit.
In 1984 she qualified as a [[solicitor]]<ref name=val/> and subsequently worked on legal issues for local government in London. She set up her own law firm, Townsend Vaz Solicitors,<ref name=val/> and has sat as a Deputy District Judge in the County Court on the Midland and Oxford Circuit.

Vaz was a [[councillor]] in the [[London Borough of Ealing]] from 1986 to 1990, and the council's Deputy Leader from 1988 to 1989.


In 2001, she joined the Government Legal Service, and worked at the [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] Solicitors Department and the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]]. She worked as a presenter and interviewer for the [[BBC]] TV programme ''Network East'' in 1987.<ref name=val/>
In 2001, she joined the Government Legal Service, and worked at the [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] Solicitors Department and the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]]. She worked as a presenter and interviewer for the [[BBC]] TV programme ''Network East'' in 1987.<ref name=val/>


==Political career==
==Political career==
Vaz was a [[councillor]] in the [[London Borough of Ealing]] from 1986 to 1990, and the council's Deputy Leader from 1988 to 1989. She stood unsuccessfully as a parliamentary candidate in the constituency of [[Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Twickenham]] in the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], and in the [[1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1999 European elections]] in the [[East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|East Midlands]]. She was a contender to be selected as a Labour candidate for the [[2000 West Bromwich West by-election]] but was not selected.<ref>{{cite news | last = Andy | first = McSmith | title = Labour bristles over favourite to follow Betty | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1355850/Labour-bristles-over-favourite-to-follow-Betty.html | work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = 18 September 2000 | access-date = 19 October 2015}}</ref> She went on to be selected as the prospective Labour candidate to be MP for [[Walsall South]] after winning a [[women-only shortlist]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lwn.org.uk/all_women_shortlists|title=All-Women Shortlists|website=Labour Women's Network}}</ref>
Vaz stood as the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] candidate in [[Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Twickenham]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], coming third with 8.4% of the vote behind the incumbent [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP [[Toby Jessel]] and the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election 1987 Results - Election Polling |url=https://www.electionpolling.co.uk/results/1987 |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=www.electionpolling.co.uk}}</ref>


At the [[1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1999 European Parliament elections]], Vaz stood in the [[East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|East Midlands]], but was not elected.<ref>{{cite web |title=1999 Election candidates |url=http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/1999/1999-election-candidates |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828022854/http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/1999/1999-election-candidates |archive-date=28 August 2009 |access-date=4 June 2009 |work=UK Office of the European Parliament}}</ref>
She was elected in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], securing the Walsall South seat with a reduced Labour majority of 1,755 (8.2% swing to the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]).


At the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Vaz was elected to Parliament as MP for [[Walsall South (UK Parliament constituency)|Walsall South]] with 39.7% of the vote and a majority of 1,755.<ref name="electoralcalculus2010">{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=[[Electoral Calculus]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Walsall South |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e87.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref>
⚫
In June 2010 she was selected as a Labour member of the Health Select Committee.<ref>{{cite news | last = Pickard | first = Jim |url=http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2010/06/westminster-select-committees-labour-tory-membership/ |title=Westminster select committees: Labour & Tory membership |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=24 June 2010|access-date=29 June 2010}}</ref> She was also Vice Chairwoman of the Labour Parliamentary Party, having been elected by fellow Labour MPs.


⚫
In June 2010 she was selected as a Labour member of the Health Select Committee.<ref>{{cite news | last = Pickard | first = Jim |url=http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2010/06/westminster-select-committees-labour-tory-membership/ |title=Westminster select committees: Labour & Tory membership |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=24 June 2010|access-date=29 June 2010}}</ref>
⚫
In the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], she was re-elected as the member of parliament for Walsall South, with an increased majority of 6,007 (5% swing to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]). In the 2015–2017 parliament, she served on the Science and Technology Committee followed by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. In October 2016 she was appointed to [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s shadow cabinet as the [[Shadow Leader of the House of Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/valerie-vaz/4076|title=Valerie Vaz MP | website= parliament.uk | publisher =UK Parliament|language=en|access-date=2 July 2017}}</ref>


In the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], she was elected for a third time at Walsall South, with an increased majority of 8,892.
At the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], Vaz was re-elected as MP for Walsall South with an increased vote share of 47.2% and an increased majority of 6,007.<ref name="electoralcalculus2015">{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=[[Electoral Calculus]]}}</ref>


In the 2015–2017 parliament, she served on the Science and Technology Committee followed by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
⚫
In 2018, it was revealed that two former members of her parliamentary staff had alleged that they were bullied by Valerie Vaz, but the complaints were not followed up by the party.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/bullying-claim-against-labour-frontbencher-valerie-vaz-was-not-investigated-by-party | title=Bullying claim against Labour frontbencher Valerie Vaz 'was not investigated' by party | date=25 February 2020 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2018/10/labour-refused-investigate-second-bullying-allegation-against-valerie-vaz | title=Labour refused to investigate second bullying allegation against Valerie Vaz | date=18 October 2018 }}</ref>


⚫
In October 2016 she was appointed to [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s shadow cabinet as the [[Shadow Leader of the House of Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/valerie-vaz/4076|title=Valerie Vaz MP | website= parliament.uk | publisher =UK Parliament|language=en|access-date=2 July 2017}}</ref>
In 2019, she was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]. In the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], Vaz held her seat with a reduced majority of 3,456.


At the snap [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], Vaz was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 57.4% and an increased majority of 8,892.<ref name="2017results">{{cite web |title=Walsall South Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808134004/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001012 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |publisher=[[BBC Online]]}}</ref>
⚫
She continued in her role as Shadow Leader of the house after the election of [[Keir Starmer]] as the [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]].


⚫
In October 2018, it was revealed that two former members of Vaz's parliamentary staff had alleged that they were bullied by her, but the complaints were not followed up by the party.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2018/10/labour-refused-investigate-second-bullying-allegation-against-valerie-vaz | title=Labour refused to investigate second bullying allegation against Valerie Vaz | date=18 October 2018 }}</ref>
She returned to the backbenches on 9 May 2021 in the [[May 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle|2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle]].

At the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], Vaz was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 49.1% and a decreased majority of 3,456.<ref>{{cite news |title=Walsall South Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001012 |access-date=1 December 2019 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

⚫
She continued in her role as Shadow Leader of the house after the election of [[Keir Starmer]] as the [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]]. In the [[May 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle|2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle]], she returned to the backbenches.


On 24 May 2021, Vaz was criticised after she suggested that the condition of [[Boris Johnson]] was exaggerated when he was in intensive care with [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Merrick |first1=Rob |title=Labour MP claims Boris Johnson's Covid condition was exaggerated because he was 'not at death's door' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-covid-valerie-vaz-b1852863.html |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=The Independent |date=24 May 2021}}</ref>
On 24 May 2021, Vaz was criticised after she suggested that the condition of [[Boris Johnson]] was exaggerated when he was in intensive care with [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Merrick |first1=Rob |title=Labour MP claims Boris Johnson's Covid condition was exaggerated because he was 'not at death's door' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-covid-valerie-vaz-b1852863.html |access-date=25 May 2021 |work=The Independent |date=24 May 2021}}</ref>


Vaz is chair of the [[All-Party Parliamentary Group]] on [[Epilepsy]]. <ref>{{cite web |title=Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 22 July 2022] |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/220722/epilepsy.htm |website=UK Parliament |publisher=The House of Commons and House of Lords |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref>
Vaz is chair of the [[All-Party Parliamentary Group]] on [[Epilepsy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 22 July 2022] |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/220722/epilepsy.htm |website=UK Parliament |publisher=The House of Commons and House of Lords |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref>


Due to the [[2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies]], Vaz's constituency of Walsall South was abolished, and replaced with [[Walsall and Bloxwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Walsall and Bloxwich]]. In June 2024, Vaz was selected as the Labour candidate for Walsall and Bloxwich at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |date=7 June 2024 |title=Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll Walsall-Bloxwich |url=https://go.walsall.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-06/Statment%20of%20Persons%20Nominated%20WB.pdf |access-date=7 June 2024 |publisher=Walsall Council}}</ref>
⚫
==Personal and family life==
⚫
Vaz is married to Paul Townsend.<ref name=val/> The couple have one daughter.<ref name=val/> Her hobbies include music and gardening.<ref name=val/> Her younger brother [[Keith Vaz]] was the Labour MP for Leicester East from 1987 to 2019, while her sister Penny is a lawyer.<ref name="Personal"/> Her late mother Merlyn Vaz was formerly a Labour councillor in [[Leicester]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Walker | first = Tim |title= General Election 2010: Joanne Cash says every dog has its day |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7621107/General-Election-2010-Joanne-Cash-says-every-dog-has-its-day.html |work= [[Daily Telegraph]] |date= 22 April 2010 |access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref>


⚫
==Personal and family life==
She is a Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2380/fall-in-number-of-catholic-mps-in-the-house-of-commons-ahead-of-landmark-debate-on-assisted-dying|title=Fall in number of Catholic MPs in the House of Commons ahead of landmark debate on assisted dying|last=Lee|first=Ceridwen|website=The Tablet|language=en|access-date=13 January 2020|date=7 August 2015}}</ref>
⚫
Vaz is married to Paul Townsend.<ref name=val/> The couple have one daughter.<ref name=val/> Her hobbies include music and gardening.<ref name=val/> Her younger brother [[Keith Vaz]] was the Labour MP for Leicester East from 1987 to 2019, while her sister Penny is a lawyer.<ref name="Personal"/> Her late mother Merlyn Vaz was formerly a Labour councillor in [[Leicester]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Walker | first = Tim |title= General Election 2010: Joanne Cash says every dog has its day |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7621107/General-Election-2010-Joanne-Cash-says-every-dog-has-its-day.html |work= [[Daily Telegraph]] |date= 22 April 2010 |access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> She is a Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2380/fall-in-number-of-catholic-mps-in-the-house-of-commons-ahead-of-landmark-debate-on-assisted-dying|title=Fall in number of Catholic MPs in the House of Commons ahead of landmark debate on assisted dying|last=Lee|first=Ceridwen|website=The Tablet|language=en|access-date=13 January 2020|date=7 August 2015}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 15:35, 18 June 2024

The Right Honourable
Valerie Vaz
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office
6 October 2016 – 9 May 2021
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer
Preceded byPaul Flynn
Succeeded byThangam Debbonaire
Member of Parliament
for Walsall South
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byBruce George
Majority3,456 (8.1%)
Personal details
Born
Valerie Carol Marian Vaz

(1954-12-07) 7 December 1954 (age 69)
Aden Colony (now Yemen)
Political partyLabour
SpousePaul Townsend
RelationsKeith Vaz (brother)
Children1 daughter
Alma materBedford College, University of London
WebsiteOfficial website

Valerie Carol Marian Vaz[1] (born 7 December 1954) is a British Labour politician and solicitor who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Walsall South since 2010. She was Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 2016 to 2021 in the Shadow Cabinets of Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer.

Early life and career

Valerie Vaz was born on 7 December 1954 in Aden (now part of Yemen) to Anthony Xavier and Merlyn Verona Vaz.[2] Her family originates from Goa, India, and settled in Twickenham and then East Sheen, London.[3] Vaz is a distant relative of Saint Joseph Vaz, a 17th-century missionary.[4] Her father, previously a correspondent for The Times of India,[5] worked in the airline industry, while her mother worked two jobs, as a teacher and for Marks & Spencer. Her father died by suicide when she was 16.[6]

Vaz was educated at Twickenham County Grammar School[3] and later Bedford College. She attended the University of London, where she completed a BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry in 1978.[7] The same year, she matriculated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge to do research, but did not take a degree.[8][9]

In 1984 she qualified as a solicitor[3] and subsequently worked on legal issues for local government in London. She set up her own law firm, Townsend Vaz Solicitors,[3] and has sat as a Deputy District Judge in the County Court on the Midland and Oxford Circuit.

Vaz was a councillor in the London Borough of Ealing from 1986 to 1990, and the council's Deputy Leader from 1988 to 1989.

In 2001, she joined the Government Legal Service, and worked at the Treasury Solicitors Department and the Ministry of Justice. She worked as a presenter and interviewer for the BBC TV programme Network East in 1987.[3]

Political career

Vaz stood as the Labour candidate in Twickenham at the 1987 general election, coming third with 8.4% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Toby Jessel and the Liberal Party candidate.[10]

At the 1999 European Parliament elections, Vaz stood in the East Midlands, but was not elected.[11]

At the 2010 general election, Vaz was elected to Parliament as MP for Walsall South with 39.7% of the vote and a majority of 1,755.[12][13]

In June 2010 she was selected as a Labour member of the Health Select Committee.[14]

At the 2015 general election, Vaz was re-elected as MP for Walsall South with an increased vote share of 47.2% and an increased majority of 6,007.[15]

In the 2015–2017 parliament, she served on the Science and Technology Committee followed by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

In October 2016 she was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.[16]

At the snap 2017 general election, Vaz was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 57.4% and an increased majority of 8,892.[17]

In October 2018, it was revealed that two former members of Vaz's parliamentary staff had alleged that they were bullied by her, but the complaints were not followed up by the party.[18]

At the 2019 general election, Vaz was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 49.1% and a decreased majority of 3,456.[19]

She continued in her role as Shadow Leader of the house after the election of Keir Starmer as the Leader of the Labour Party. In the 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, she returned to the backbenches.

On 24 May 2021, Vaz was criticised after she suggested that the condition of Boris Johnson was exaggerated when he was in intensive care with COVID-19.[20]

Vaz is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy.[21]

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Vaz's constituency of Walsall South was abolished, and replaced with Walsall and Bloxwich. In June 2024, Vaz was selected as the Labour candidate for Walsall and Bloxwich at the 2024 general election.[22]

Personal and family life

Vaz is married to Paul Townsend.[3] The couple have one daughter.[3] Her hobbies include music and gardening.[3] Her younger brother Keith Vaz was the Labour MP for Leicester East from 1987 to 2019, while her sister Penny is a lawyer.[6] Her late mother Merlyn Vaz was formerly a Labour councillor in Leicester.[23] She is a Catholic.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Profile: Valerie Carol Marian Vaz". ukwhoswho.com. UK Who's Who. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Vaz, Valerie Carol Marian – WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO". Ukwhoswho.com. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U251368. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "About Valerie". valerievazmp.co.uk. Valerie Vaz MP. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Relative of British MP to become Sri Lanka's first saint | CatholicHerald.co.uk". Archived from the original on 20 September 2014.
  5. ^ editor, Helen Pidd North of England (4 September 2016). "Keith Vaz: one scandal too many for the publicity-seeking MP". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 14 March 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ a b Laville, Sandra (2 January 2013). "Keith Vaz on Jacintha Saldanha's children: This could be me 42 years ago'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Election highs for Royal Holloway alumni". www.rhul.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  8. ^ The Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991, Cambridge University Press, p. 1394
  9. ^ "Personal website autobiography". Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Election 1987 Results - Election Polling". www.electionpolling.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  11. ^ "1999 Election candidates". UK Office of the European Parliament. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  12. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ^ "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Walsall South". BBC News.
  14. ^ Pickard, Jim (24 June 2010). "Westminster select committees: Labour & Tory membership". Financial Times. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Valerie Vaz MP". parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  17. ^ "Walsall South Parliamentary constituency". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Labour refused to investigate second bullying allegation against Valerie Vaz". 18 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Walsall South Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  20. ^ Merrick, Rob (24 May 2021). "Labour MP claims Boris Johnson's Covid condition was exaggerated because he was 'not at death's door'". The Independent. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 22 July 2022]". UK Parliament. The House of Commons and House of Lords. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll Walsall-Bloxwich" (PDF). Walsall Council. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  23. ^ Walker, Tim (22 April 2010). "General Election 2010: Joanne Cash says every dog has its day". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  24. ^ Lee, Ceridwen (7 August 2015). "Fall in number of Catholic MPs in the House of Commons ahead of landmark debate on assisted dying". The Tablet. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
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for Walsall South
2010–present 		Incumbent
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