Alison Jane Seabeck (née Ward, 20 January 1954) is a former British politician. A member of the
Labour Party, she served as the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for
Plymouth Devonport from
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
until
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
when she won the new seat of
Plymouth Moor View, before losing the seat to
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...
of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
at the
2015 general election. In opposition, Seabeck was a shadow
Housing
Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...
and
Defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
Minister.
Early life
Before her marriage, Seabeck was known as Alison Ward.
[ She is the daughter of Michael Ward, a former Labour member of parliament for ]Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
, and was educated at the Harold Hill Grammar School in Harold Hill
Harold Hill is a suburban area in the London Borough of Havering, East London. northeast of Charing Cross. It is a district centre in the London Plan. The name refers to King Harold II, who held the manor of Havering-atte-Bower, and who was k ...
, Havering
The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, London ...
, London, and the North East London Polytechnic in Stratford (now the University of East London
, mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows
, established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...
). Seabeck was a member of the MSF Union (now Unite
Unite may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London
* ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993
* ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005
Songs ...
), and while working as a researcher at the House of Commons became the secretary of the South Thames Community Branch. In 2005 she was also a member of the feminist Fawcett Society
The Fawcett Society is a membership charity in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation dates back to 1866, when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage. Originall ...
and the Labour Women's Network.
Political career
In March 2005, Seabeck was selected from an all-women shortlist
All-women shortlists (AWS) is an affirmative action practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament (MPs) in the United Kingdom, allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political p ...
to stand for Labour in the Plymouth Devonport seat.
She was elected at the 2005 general election with a majority of 8,103, replacing David Jamieson. From 2007 to 2008 she served as a Government Whip attached to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. She chaired the South West Regional Select Committee between 2009 and 2010 and sat on the Local Government Select Committee and the Regulatory Reform Select Committee between 2005 and 2007. Between 2006 and 2007, and again from 2008 to 2009, she was Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...
to Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey William Hoon (born 6 December 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire from 1992 to 2010. He is a former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader of ...
.
At the 2010 general election, Seabeck successfully held her seat in Plymouth Moor View. ''The Times Guide to the House of Commons
''The Times Guide to the House of Commons'' is a political reference guide book published by Times Newspapers giving coverage of general elections in the United Kingdom.
Following most general elections since 1880, the book has been published. The ...
2010'' described her as having a "very low profile".
On 11 October 2010, Seabeck was appointed Shadow Housing Minister, working with Caroline Flint
Caroline Louise Flint (born 20 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley from 1997 to 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she attended the Cabinet of the United Kingdom as Minister for Hous ...
, the then . On 7 October 2011, she was appointed Shadow Defence Minister during Ed Miliband's reshuffle.
In December 2010, it was revealed that Seabeck was under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons. The work of the officer is overseen by the Commons Select Committee on Standards.
The current commissioner is Kathryn Stone.
Duties
The commissioner is i ...
in relation to declaration of member's interests. Seabeck was subsequently asked to apologise for speaking in a debate on fire safety without declaring that her partner, MP Nick Raynsford
Wyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford (born 28 January 1945), known as Nick Raynsford, is a British politician who served as a government minister from 1997 to 2005. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Greenwich and Wo ...
was a member of the Fire Protection Association.
She was also a member of the Public Bill Committee
In the British House of Commons, public bill committees (known as standing committees before 2006) consider Bills – proposed Acts of Parliament. The House of Lords does not have such committees, as Bills are usually considered by the House as a ...
for the Defence Reform Act 2014
The Defence Reform Act 2014 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerned with defence procurement and the UK Reserve Forces, particularly the Territorial Army. It has 51 sections and seven schedules.
Part 1 of the Act relates to ...
In 2014, she tried to introduce an exemption from the so-called 'bedroom tax
The under-occupancy penalty (also known as the under occupation penalty, under-occupancy charge, under-occupation charge or size criteria) results from a provision of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 whereby tenants living in public housing (a ...
' so that victims of domestic violence with a "panic room" installed were no longer penalised for the additional room.
At the 2015 general election, Seabeck again stood in Plymouth Moor View, but was defeated by the Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
candidate Johnny Mercer
John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...
.
Personal life
Alison Ward married Denis G. Seabeck in September 1975 in the London Borough of Havering
The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The ...
.[''Marriages September 1975'', freebmd.org, accessed 9 December 2022 “WARD Alison J / SEABECK Denis G / HAVERING / Vol. 13 / p. 156”] They have two daughters.[ On 5 October 2012, at the ]National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...
, she married Nick Raynsford
Wyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford (born 28 January 1945), known as Nick Raynsford, is a British politician who served as a government minister from 1997 to 2005. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Greenwich and Wo ...
, the Labour MP for Greenwich & Woolwich, for whom she had worked as a researcher before entering Parliament. They were reported to have been together for six years before marrying.
References
External links
Alison Seabeck MP – for Plymouth, Devonport
*
* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4110914.stm Meet the MP (BBC 2005)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seabeck, Alison Jane
1954 births
Living people
Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Devon
People from Dagenham
21st-century British women politicians
Politicians from Plymouth, Devon