Thangam Elizabeth Rachel Debbonaire (' Singh; born 3 August 1966)
is a British
Labour Party politician, serving as
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons since May 2021. She was previously the
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
The Shadow Secretary of State for Housing was a position in the United Kingdom's Shadow Cabinet that was created on 7 October 2016 by the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn during a cabinet reshuffle. This position succeeds the position of ...
from 2020 to 2021. She was elected
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 o ...
(MP) for
Bristol West
Bristol West is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Thangam Debbonaire of the Labour Party. It mostly covers the central and western parts of Bristol.
Constituency ...
at the
2015 general election, when she defeated the incumbent
Liberal Democrat MP
Stephen Williams.
Shortly after being elected, Debbonaire was diagnosed with
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
,
and did not attend a parliamentary vote from June 2015 until March 2016.
She was appointed shadow Arts and Culture Minister in January 2016, but resigned on 27 June 2016 owing to her lack of confidence in the Labour Party Leader,
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialis ...
. She rejoined his frontbench team as a whip in October that year, before being made Shadow Brexit Minister in January 2020.
Early life and education
Debbonaire was born in
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 unti ...
on 3 August 1966 to a father of Indian and
Sri Lankan Tamil
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern P ...
family origin and an English mother.
She was educated at two
independent schools,
Bradford Girls' Grammar School
Bradford Girls' Grammar School is a free school for girls aged 5 – 16 and boys aged 5 – 11. Founded in 1875, the school is on the outskirts of Bradford city centre in West Yorkshire, England. Recent public examination results put the schoo ...
and
Chetham's School of Music.
She then took the first stage of a mathematics degree at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, leaving before graduating, while at the same time training as a cellist at the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...
.
She went to
St John's City College of Technology, Manchester. Subsequently, she gained an
MSc in Management, Development and Social Responsibility at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
.
[
In her twenties, she changed her name by ]deed poll
A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party.
Etymology
The ...
from Singh to Debbonaire, borrowed from a relative from her first marriage.
Early career
Before becoming an MP, she performed professionally as a classical cellist, including for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She has worked as National Children's Officer for the Women's Aid Federation of England
Women's Aid Federation of England, commonly called Women's Aid within England, is one of a group of charities across the United Kingdom. There are four main Women's Aid Federations, one for each of the countries of the United Kingdom. Its aim is t ...
, for which she moved to St Werburghs in Bristol in 1991, and later as an Accreditation Officer, Fundraising Manager, then National Research Manager for Respect, an anti-domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...
organisation.[
She has co-authored two books, and a number of papers, about domestic violence. In 2004, Debbonaire and her husband, Kevin Walton, co-authored (along with Emilie Debbonaire) a report for Ireland's Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform entitled ''Evaluation of work with domestic abusers in Ireland''.]
Parliamentary career
At the 2015 general election, Debbonaire was selected as a Labour candidate via 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 ...
for the constituency of Bristol West. She was elected with a majority of 5,673 votes, defeating incumbent Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, who finished in third place after the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
.
Debbonaire was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
on 16 June 2015. She subsequently called on Parliament to allow MPs to vote remotely after she was unable to participate in votes during her recovery.
During her treatment period she was appointed as Shadow Arts and Culture Minister by Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialis ...
. According to Debbonaire, she found out about the role when a journalist contacted her in hospital in response to a Labour press release announcing that she was taking it on, and was then briefly removed from the position before she got a chance to meet with Corbyn. According to Debbonaire's colleague Chi Onwurah
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (born 12 April 1965) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central since 2010.
She was shadow minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation ...
, whose frontbench portfolio was briefly split with hers, Corbyn's communication with both women, directly or indirectly, was practically non-existent.
Debbonaire resigned from her role on 27 June 2016 following a series of other resignations, saying that she did not believe Corbyn was the right person to lead the Labour Party into the next election. She also opposed Corbyn's call for Article 50
Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
to be triggered on the day immediately following the referendum on the European Union. Debbonaire's resignation attracted criticism in her Constituency Labour Party (CLP), with some concerned members accusing her of being a liar, a "traitor", and a "scab". Debbonaire endorsed Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election. After Corbyn defeated Smith, on 12 October 2016, Debbonaire accepted an appointment as a shadow whip in Corbyn's frontbench team, overcoming her former belief that Corbyn was not the right person to lead the Labour Party into the next election.
Debbonaire was reelected in the 2017 general election with an increased majority of 37,336 votes; this was the fourth-largest majority by vote size nationally. Bristol West had been the number one target for the Green Party, which slipped to third place behind the Conservatives with a 12.9% vote share. Debbonaire had resisted calls from the Green Party for her to stand aside as part of a progressive alliance. The size of Debbonaire's majority was considered a shock, as the seat had been billed as a four-way marginal.
On 15 September 2017, Debbonaire held what is thought to be the UK's first constituency surgery specifically for people on the autism spectrum.
In the same month, she urged local constituency members discontented about her resignation to stop planning her deselection, which she claimed was "a catastrophic waste of time".
On 9 May 2021, Debbonaire was moved from the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
The Shadow Secretary of State for Housing was a position in the United Kingdom's Shadow Cabinet that was created on 7 October 2016 by the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn during a cabinet reshuffle. This position succeeds the position of ...
to Shadow Leader of the House of Commons in a shadow cabinet reshuffle.
Views
Debbonaire describes herself as a "northern European socialist – a democratic socialist". She supports "fettered capitalism".
Debbonaire opposes the decriminalisation of prostitution and has called for more funding and research to help reform male perpetrators of domestic violence. She supports mandatory education classes in female equality for newly arrived male refugees, as well as more English language support for refugees as part of a broader integration strategy. She has called on Bristol City Council to stop issuing licences to strip club
A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style ...
s in the city. Debbonaire has also called for student accommodation providers to pay council tax.
Brexit
Before the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, Debbonaire endorsed remaining in the EU. Bristol West voted to remain in the European Union by 79.3%; this was the third-highest percentage result for the Remain campaign by parliamentary constituency.
On 27 January 2017, Debbonaire stated that she would vote against triggering Article 50
Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
, despite being a whip herself and Labour imposing a three-line whip to vote for the government motion. She explained that this was because the government intended to leave "the Single Market or something close to it". On 29 June 2017, Debbonaire abstained from voting in an amendment by Chuka Umunna
Chuka Harrison Umunna (; born 17 October 1978) is a British retired politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Streatham from 2010 until 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, he was part of the Shadow Cabinet from 2011 to ...
to the Queen's Speech
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining t ...
which would have kept the UK in the Single Market and held a vote on the final Brexit deal; her abstention was criticised by Molly Scott Cato, the local Green Party candidate in the 2017 general election. Debbonaire defended her abstention, stating that she had supported a similar amendment drafted by Labour. She affirmed: "I will do everything I can to stop the UK from leaving the EU."
In December 2017, Debbonaire criticised the quality of the Brexit impact papers published by David Davis, then the Brexit Secretary
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the Eur ...
. She stated that the sectoral analyses "wouldn't get an A grade...if he governmentwere submitting it as GCSE research" and believed that the papers only compiled information already publicly available. She accused the government of "a dereliction of duty".
In July 2018, Debbonaire said that she did not support a referendum on the Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time, GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 Central Eur ...
deal. She was criticised by Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats. In response, Debbonaire said that there was insufficient public support for a final vote on the deal, and she accused the Liberal Democrats of "playing politics" on the issue.
Drugs reform
Debbonaire's treatment for breast cancer led her to support greater regulation of alcohol. She supports mandatory graphic health warnings on alcoholic drinks, akin to those on cigarette packaging, and has called for parliamentary debate to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer.
Debbonaire has previously called for an “evidence-based policy review” of the laws around drugs such as ecstasy and marijuana. She supports sending addicted users to mandatory rehabilitation programmes. Debbonaire has also voiced support for "drug consumption rooms", telling ministers that drug-related admissions to Bristol Royal Infirmary cost the NHS £1.3 million per year. On 10 July 2018, Debbonaire co-launched a campaign for drugs policy reform alongside fellow Labour whip Jeff Smith. The campaign was launched without policy proposals, intended as a forum for Labour members to discuss drugs policy reform. Shortly after launching the campaign, Debbonaire called for drug-testing services to be made compulsory at festivals and nightclubs across the UK. She had previously called for a Royal Commission to investigate the impact of drugs and had called for the Prime Minister to watch Drugsland, a BBC documentary on drugs in Bristol.
Harassment
In August 2016, a student at the University of Bristol was investigated after telling Debbonaire to "get in the sea", an Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, which she interpreted as a death threat. Following a complaint to the university by Debbonaire concerning that tweet and others, including one which called her a "traitor", the student apologised, deleted the tweet, and closed her Twitter account. The tweet was posted on the day of the funeral of Jo Cox, another Labour MP, who was murdered in June 2016.
In November 2017, a constituent who harassed Debbonaire was jailed for 20 weeks after leaving multiple "upsetting and disturbing" racially offensive answerphone messages for a senior case worker.
Personal life
Debbonaire is married to Kevin Walton, an opera singer, former actor and a director of Ark Stichting, an Amsterdam charity that works with children with special educational needs
Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system.
Definition
The definiti ...
.
Since her breast cancer treatment, during which time she read about the links between cancer and alcohol, Debbonaire drinks very little alcohol, is vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
and spent a month in 2017 attempting to live without single-use plastics.
Debbonaire cites music, knitting and observing space as her hobbies. During her treatment for breast cancer, she credited listening to classical music with helping her recovery.
Selected bibliography
Books
*
Chapters in books
*
Journal articles
*
Papers
*
*
*
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Debbonaire, Thangam
1966 births
Alumni of the University of Bristol
Alumni of the University of Oxford
British politicians of Indian descent
English people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent
Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Living people
Members of Parliament for Bristol
People educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School
People educated at Chetham's School of Music
Politics of Bristol
UK MPs 2015–2017
UK MPs 2017–2019
UK MPs 2019–present
21st-century British women politicians
21st-century English women
21st-century English people