Maria Eagle

Maria Eagle spent a number of years in the voluntary sector before studying law. In 1990, she became an articled clerk and later a solicitor. Eagle served as secretary and campaigns organiser for the Crosby Constituency Labour Party in the 1980s. She described her election as an MP as the “culmination of a lifetime’s dreams”. Shortly after being elected, Eagle joined the Public Accounts Committee. Following the 2001 general election, Eagle joined the government as parliamentary under-secretary firstly at the DWP, then the Department for Education and Skills, the Northern Ireland Office and the MoJ consecutively. In 2009, she was promoted to justice minister. Eagle was implicated in the 2009 expenses scandal and voted to keep MPs expenses secret. She joined Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet as shadow transport secretary, then as shadow environment secretary. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, she was appointed shadow defence secretary (to her surprise as a non-supporter of unilateral disarmament, contrary to Corbyn) and later shadow culture secretary. Eagle resigned in the aftermath of the EU referendum to support Owen Smith’s leadership challenge. Since 2020, she has been on the justice and bills and consolidation committees.