Dawn Butler

Dawn Butler has been the MP for Brent Central since 2015 and was the MP for Brent South from 2005 to 2010. Prior to entering parliament, Butler worked for the GMB Union as a national race and equality officer and as an adviser to then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, where she specialised in employment and social issues. During her time in Parliament, Butler has become involved with youth services. In 2006, she became chair of the APPG on Youth Affairs and in 2009 she was appointed minister for young citizens and youth engagement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Butler was shadow minister for equalities (diverse communities) from 2016 to 2017, and shadow minister for women and equalities from 2017 to 2020. Butler came last in the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election. Butler has been outspoken in her criticism of the government’s Covid-19 response, in October 2020 she stated, “instead of supporting the established system in public health, the Prime Minister has invested £10 billion in privatised companies. It has not controlled the virus, it has not saved lives and it has not rebuilt the economy”.