Harman, Harriet (1950– )

British Labour politician and lawyer, leader of the House of Commons, minister for women, and Labour Party chair from 2007. Since 1997, she has held a number of posts in the Labour governments, including social security secretary 1997–98, solicitor general 2001–05, and a minister of state in the Department for Constitutional Affairs 2005–07. In June 2007 she was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party, narrowly defeating Alan Johnson in the final round. A long-time ally of Gordon Brown who became Labour Party leader and prime minister in June 2007, she returned to the cabinet holding five posts: Lord Privy Seal; leader of the House of Commons; secretary of state for equalities; minister for women; and party chair.

She was born in London into a nonconformist family, her father being a doctor and her mother a solicitor. After graduating with a law degree, she was a legal officer with the National Council for Civil Liberties 1978–82. She entered the House of Commons in 1982 as MP for Peckham (Camberwell and Peckham since 1997) and served on the opposition front bench as shadow minister in a variety of posts 1984–97. When Labour came to power in 1997, Tony Blair appointed her secretary of state for social security, with a brief to reform the welfare state. She made little progress and faced criticism in 1997 for announcing cuts in benefits for lone parents and was often seen to be at odds with her free-thinking deputy, Frank Field. Despite her close political links with Prime Minister Blair, she was dismissed from the cabinet in the re-shuffle of July 1998.