Emily Thornberry
Emily Anne Thornberry (born 27 July 1960) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she has served as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales since 2021, and previously from 2011 to 2014. She has also served in a number of other senior positions on Labour's front bench, namely as Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2020, Shadow First Secretary of State from 2017 to 2020 and Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade from 2020 to 2021.
The Right Honourable Emily Thornberry MP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 29 November 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The Lord Falconer of Thoroton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 October 2011 – 3 December 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Ed Miliband | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The Baroness Scotland of Asthal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Bach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 6 May 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chris Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 17,328 (36.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Emily Anne Thornberry 27 July 1960 Guildford, Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Kent (LLB) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The daughter of a teacher and a diplomat, Thornberry was born in Guildford, Surrey, and attended a local secondary modern school. After graduating from the University of Kent in Canterbury, she worked as a human rights lawyer from 1985 to 2005 and joined the Transport and General Workers' Union.
Thornberry was first elected to Parliament in 2005 and served as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales in Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet from 2011 until she resigned in 2014 after sending a tweet mocking a house with England flags. After Jeremy Corbyn won the 2015 Labour leadership election, Thornberry was appointed Shadow Minister of State for Employment in September 2015, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence in January 2016 and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in June 2016. She was a candidate to succeed Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party in the 2020 leadership election but was eliminated from the race after failing to obtain the number of nominations needed.
Thornberry was appointed to Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and Shadow President of the Board of Trade in April 2020. She was appointed Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales in November 2021.