Janet Jessica Daby (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Sarju; born 15 December 1970) is a British Labour politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Lewisham East Lewisham East could refer to: *Lewisham East (UK Parliament constituency) Lewisham East is a parliamentary constituency in South London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the by-election on 14 June 2018 by Janet Dab ...

since

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. She has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families since July 2024.

Early life and career

Janet Sarju was born on 15 December 1970 to parents who were ''Windrush'' migrants from

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. She attended Blackheath Bluecoat School in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

. Daby then studied at

Brunel University Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

, graduating with a BSc, before graduating with a MSc at

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. Daby worked in volunteer management and children's social care, acting as a registered fostering manager. She founded the Whitefoot and Downham Community Food + Project in 2013, for which she became a director.

Political career

Daby was elected as a

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

borough councillor at the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

, when she gained the

Whitefoot Whitefoot was, until 2022, an wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. Its area is south-east of Charing Cross, and north of Downham, London, Downham, south of Catford, west of Grove Park, Lewisham, Grove Pa ...

ward from the Liberal Democrats and received the most votes of the three elected candidates. She was re-elected in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and

, also topping the poll on these occasions. In addition, Daby served as deputy mayor of the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, England. It forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The ...

during this period. She resigned from the Council in March 2019.

Parliamentary career

Daby was selected in May 2018 as Labour's candidate in the

2018 Lewisham East by-election A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Lewisham East on 14 June 2018, following the resignation of Labour MP Heidi Alexander. It was the second by-election held during the 57th UK Parliament, which was elected in June 2017. ...

, after hustings with 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 ...

. At the election, Daby was elected to Parliament as MP for

with 50.2% of the vote and a majority of 5,629. In response to ongoing uncertainty over

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, Daby pledged to fight for the UK to remain in the

European Union Customs Union The European Union Customs Union (EUCU), formally known as the Community Customs Union, is a customs union which consists of all the member states of the European Union (EU), Monaco, and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dheke ...

and the

European single market The European single market, also known as the European internal market or the European common market, is the single market comprising mainly the member states of the European Union (EU). With certain exceptions, it also comprises Iceland, ...

. Daby announced her resignation as a Lewisham councillor on 20 March 2019, to concentrate on her role as an MP, noting that she would continue to represent Whitefoot residents in the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

. At the 2019 general election, Daby was re-elected as MP for Lewisham East with an increased vote share of 59.5% and an increased majority of 17,008. On 9 April 2020, Daby was given her first shadow ministerial post by Labour Party leader

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...

as Shadow Minister for Faiths. She also became a Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities in July 2020. She resigned from the frontbench on 7 December 2020, after she suggested that registrars who have a religious objection to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

should be protected from losing their jobs if they refuse to certify the partnership, an action which would be viewed as unlawful discrimination. She later apologised for her remarks. Daby is a member of

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME) is a parliamentary group within the British Labour Party that promotes support for Palestine and campaigns for "peace and justice in the Middle East through the implementation of internati ...

. At the

2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...

, Daby was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Lewisham East, with a decreased vote share of 58.2% and an increased majority of 18,073. In November 2024, Daby voted in favour of the

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a private members' bill (PMB) which proposes to legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. The bill was introduced by Labour backbench MP Kim Leadbeater in October 20 ...

, which proposes to legalise

assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

Personal life

Daby married Donald Daby in 2003; the couple have a son and a daughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daby, Janet 1970 births Living people 21st-century British women politicians Alumni of Brunel University London Alumni of the London School of Economics Black British women politicians Councillors in the London Borough of Lewisham English people of Guyanese descent English people of Jamaican descent Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Politicians from the London Borough of Lewisham UK councillors 2010–2014 UK councillors 2014–2018 UK councillors 2018–2022 UK MPs 2017–2019 UK MPs 2019–2024 UK MPs 2024–present Black British MPs Women councillors in England Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East