Phyllis Margaret Starkey (née Williams; born 4 January 1947) is a British Labour party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Milton Keynes South West from

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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 ...

. She had previously served as Leader of

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the local authority for the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Oxford has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974, Oxford has been a non-metropolitan district, wi ...

Early life

She was the daughter of Dr John Williams, a food chemist, and Catherine Hooson Williams. She attended the independent Perse School for Girls in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

then read for a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

Biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

, graduating in 1970. In 1974, as a graduate student of

Clare Hall, Cambridge Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1966 by Clare College, Clare Hall is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students alongside postdoctoral researchers and fellows. It was est ...

, she was awarded the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

by the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Early career

Before she entered Parliament, Starkey's career was in biomedical research. Her early work with Alan Barrett at the

was in the field of

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

, and included formulating the trap hypothesis of

peptidase A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. They do ...

inhibition.Salvesen GS, Murphy G, Nagase H. The trap hypothesis: α₂M and protease inhibition ''The Biochemist'' (June 2006) 46–48
(accessed 2 October 2007) From 1974 to 1981, she was at the Strangeways Laboratory in Cambridge. She later headed a group at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

researching problems of

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

.Phyllis Starkey, MP for Milton Keynes South West: About Phyllis
(accessed 30 December 2007) She was at the

Sir William Dunn School of Pathology The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology is a department within the University of Oxford. Its research programme includes the cellular and molecular biology of pathogens, the immune response, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It teaches undergr ...

in Oxford from 1981 to 1984. She lectured in

Obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

at the University of Oxford and was a fellow of

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

, from 1984 to 1993. Subsequently, she worked as an expert in science and technology policy and bioethics for the

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience. It predominantly funds science, scient ...

from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 1998 she was a fellow of

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economics, politic ...

. Starkey joined the Labour Party in 1974 and became a

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

in 1983.Phyllis Starkey, BBC Election 1997 candidate page
(accessed 30 December 2007) She held various positions on the council, including that of Leader of the council (1990–93) and Chair of the Finance Committee (1988–90 and 1993–96).

Parliamentary career

Starkey was selected to stand for election for Labour through 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 ...

. As a female entrant to Parliament after the 1997 general election, Starkey was part of the intake dubbed 'The Blair Babes' by the UK media following a

photoshoot A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location. A photo shoot is a series of images that are taken, ...

by the Labour Party to show off how many women MPs were in the new government. Her Parliamentary voting record showed she was a staunch supporter of the legislation introduced by the Labour governments, including the occasional contentious issues within her party. Such were her

Blairite In British politics, Blairism is the political ideology of Tony Blair, the former leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007, and those that support him, known as Blairites. It entered the '' New Penguin English Dictio ...

credentials that

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English former politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was Local Government Act 1985, abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of Londo ...

, Labour's

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

, dubbed her "Phyllis

Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...

On the backbenches (1997–2001)

Starkey was a Member of the

Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons The Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons (frequently shortened to Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was created ea ...

between 1997 and 1999, during which time significant changes to parliamentary procedures were introduced, including the establishment of the

Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...

debating chamber and the beginning of alterations to sitting hours of Parliament to make them more 'family friendly'.Modernisation Committee
''Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons First Report, Appendix 1'' 2 December 1998 (accessed 30 December 2007). In 1998 Starkey highlighted the need for a national register for door supervisors ( bouncers) to protect young people's safety while clubbing, and introduced a

Private Members Bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

to Parliament to establish one.Hansard, 28 January 1998
''Hansard – Door Supervisors (Registration)'' 28 January 1998 (accessed 30 December 2007). Whilst her Bill did not succeed, the Government was persuaded of the need for a register, and it was incorporated into the Private Security Industry Act 2001 which led to the formation of the Security Industry Authority in 2003. Between 1999 and 2001, Starkey was a member of the

Foreign Affairs Select Committee The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is one of many select committees of the British House of Commons, which scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwea ...

Parliamentary Private Secretary (2001–2005)

After the 2001 general election Starkey was subsequently appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to junior

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

Ministers

Denis MacShane Denis MacShane (born Josef Denis Matyjaszek; 21 May 1948) is a British former politician, author, commentator and convicted criminal who served as Minister of State for Europe from 2002 to 2005. He joined the Labour Party in 1970 and has held ...

and

Ben Bradshaw Sir Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (born 30 August 1960) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2009 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Exeter f ...

and from May–October 2002 was PPS to Denis MacShane and Mike O'Brien. In November 2002 she transferred to become PPS to Denis MacShane in his new role as

Minister of State for Europe The minister of state for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, is a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with Europe. The minister can also be responsible for government policy towards ...

Select committee chair (2005–2010)

After the general election in May 2005, Starkey was appointed chair of the Committee on the

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

. Following the reorganisation of Government Departments announced on 5 May 2006, the committee was renamed the

Communities and Local Government Select Committee The Housing and Communities Committee (formerly the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the work, the exp ...

, though its role and the majority of its remit remained the same.ODPM Committee Note
''The ODPM Select Committee and the Department for Communities and Local Government'' 22 May 2006 (accessed 30 December 2007). In 2006, there were some notable examples of Starkey becoming increasingly critical of the Prime Minister Tony Blair. In March she used a tough line of questioning during PMQs regarding the tensions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,Hansard, 15 March 2006
''Hansard – Questions to the Prime Minister'' 15 March 2006 (accessed 30 December 2007). and in July during a Liaison Committee session with the PM she raised concerns in relation to the Government's work on education and employment for the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities of Britain.Liaison Committee – Minutes of Evidence
''House of Commons Liaison Committee'' 4 July 2006 (accessed 30 June 2007). In 2007 Starkey along with Jeffrey Donaldson MP called for an investigation into the private security and military services firm

ArmorGroup ArmorGroup International is a British company that provides private security company, private security services. It was founded in 1981 and was listed on the London Stock Exchange until 6 June 2008 (it was acquired by G4S plc in April 2008). Armor ...

, who held contracts with the British Government for police training in Iraq and Afghanistan.Guardian Newspaper
''Iraq cover-up claims: MPs call for inquiry'' 24 December 2007 (accessed 30 December 2007). She has also pressed the Government to regulate nail bars and for a ban on a potentially harmful chemical

glue Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...

used in some outlets to affix

fake nails Artificial nails, also known as fake nails, false nails, acrylic nails, press ons, nail extensions or nail enhancements, are extensions placed over fingernails as fashion accessories. Many artificial nail designs attempt to mimic the appearance ...

.BBC News Website
''Call for UK ban on fake-nail glue'' 30 December 2007 (accessed 30 December 2007). Starkey took a close interest in the political situation in the Middle East in her last Parliament, and travelled to both Palestine and Lebanon. Her outspoken opinion on the Israeli incursion into Lebanon in 2006 was firmly at odds with the Labour leadership.The Independent – Comment Pages
''Phyllis Starkey: I could support Blair on Iraq, but not over this'' 2 August 2006 (accessed 30 December 2007). In a

pop quiz ''Pop Quiz'' is a British television quiz programme that originally aired on BBC1 from 4 July 1981 to 28 December 1984 with a ''Top of the Pops'' special on 4 January 1994 hosted by Mike Read. It was then revived from 21 May to 9 July 1994 on th ...

of MPs involved in Middle East issues run by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' newspaper in 2007, Starkey was commended along with

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Andrew Rosindell Andrew Richard Rosindell MP (; born 17 March 1966) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford since 2001. He has been the international director of the European Foundation, chair ...

for getting the highest score, with all but one answer correct.Sunday Times
''MPs don’t know their Sunnis from Shi’ites'' 7 January 2007 (accessed 30 December 2007). Starkey was comparatively untroubled by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

s investigation of the

MPs' expenses scandal The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expense claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous years ...

in 2009, though she was one of the MPs to have travelled abroad as a guest of the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

, a taxpayer-funded organisation, which became the subject of controversy when the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

Michael Martin withheld information relating to the declaration of the hospitality provided. Starkey said she could not remember if she had spoken to the Registrar about her trip, but was of the opinion she did not have to declare a trip that was effectively paid for by the Government and the taxpayer; a position endorsed by the Commons Registrar of Members' Interests.

Defeat

At the 2010 general election, Starkey ran in the redrawn seat of Milton Keynes South but lost to Conservative candidate Iain Stewart, whom she had previously defeated in 2001 and 2005.

Personal life

She married Hugh Walton Starkey on 6 September 1969. They have two daughters.

References

External links

Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Phyllis Starkey MP

TheyWorkForYou.com – Phyllis Starkey MP

BBC Politics

News items

BBC News – MPs take on the cistern
10 June 2008
BBC News – Call for UK ban on fake-nail glue
30 December 2007
BBC News – MP praises 'surf capital' Newquay
7 March 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Starkey, Phyllis 1947 births Living people Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Alumni of Clare Hall, Cambridge Members of Oxford City Council Politicians from Ipswich Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies English biochemists Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford UK MPs 1997–2001 UK MPs 2001–2005 UK MPs 2005–2010 Politics of Milton Keynes People educated at the Perse School for Girls 20th-century British women scientists 20th-century English women politicians 21st-century English women politicians Women councillors in England Scientists from Ipswich