Judith "Jude" Kirton-Darling (born 2 June 1977) is a British politician who served as

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

for the North East England region for the Labour Party between

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU.

Early life

Kirton-Darling was born on 2 June 1977 in Dar es Salaam,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. She was educated in Middlesbrough, England, at Hall Garth Secondary School and Acklam Sixth Form College. In 1996, she matriculated into the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

where she studied history and politics. In 1999, she graduated with an upper second class

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree. From 2000 to 2001, she studied at the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

(with study abroad at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

) and completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

(MSc) degree in European Social Policy Analysis.

Political career

Kirton-Darling began her political career as a programme assistant with the

Quaker Council for European Affairs The Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) is an international not-for-profit organisation which seeks to promote the values and political concerns of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) at the European level. It undertakes research an ...

from 1999 to 2000. On 18 May 2011, she was elected Confederal Secretary of the

European Trade Union Confederation The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and ...

European Parliament

Kirton-Darling stood in the

2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union, from 22 to 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties fielded candid ...

as a Labour Party candidate for the North East England region. With Labour having won the most votes in the region, she was elected a

. On 1 July 2014, she was elected to the Committee for International Trade and the Committee on Petitions. She was re-elected as MEP in the 2019 European elections and then elected as whip of the Labour party MEPs. However, with the passing of the Brexit accords, her membership ended on 30 January 2020. Winner of the International Trade Award, MEP Awards 2017.

Personal life

Kirton-Darling is a practising Quaker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirton-Darling, Judith 1977 births Living people Alumni of the University of Sheffield British Quakers British trade unionists Labour Party (UK) MEPs MEPs for England 2014–2019 MEPs for England 2019–2020 21st-century women MEPs for England People from Dar es Salaam British women trade unionists