Laura Moffatt

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Laura Moffatt
honorific-suffix =MP

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caption = Laura Moffatt, 06 March 2006, launching the 2006 local election campaign in Crawley.
constituency_MP = Crawley
parliament =
majority = 37 (0.1%)
predecessor = Nicholas Soames
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 1 May 1997
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1954|04|9|df=yes
birth_place = Battersea, London
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Colin Moffatt
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Laura Jean Moffatt (born 9 April 1954) is a politician in the United Kingdom. She is Labour Party member of Parliament for Crawley, and was first elected in 1997, after boundary changes led to most of the rural parts of the constituency being removed to neighbouring constituencies.

Early life

Born Laura Jean Field in London in 1954, she was educated at Hazelwick School in Crawley, West Sussex before attending the Crawley College of Technology (now renamed Central Sussex College).

From 1975 until her election to the House of Commons in 1997, she worked a state registered nurse at the Crawley Hospital. She joined the Labour Party in 1979 and was elected to Crawley Borough Council 1984-97 and served as the town's mayor in 1990.

Parliamentary career

She challenged Crawley at the 1992 general election, but lost out to the sitting Conservative MP Nicholas Soames.

At the 2005 general election she was elected to the Commons on the smallest majority in the country with 37 votes, with her share of the vote falling by over 10 percent from the 2001 general election result. After an epic count, and numerous re-counts, Moffatt broke down in tears after being returned to Parliament.

In the Commons she has served variously as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine (2001-03); the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Charles Falconer (2003-05); the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions David Blunkett (2005); the Minister of State at the Department for Education and Skills Jacqui Smith (2005-06), and since 2006 has served as the PPS to Alan Johnson initially as Secretary of State for Education and Skills and since 2007 as Secretary of State for Health. From 1997-2001 she served as a member of the Defence Select Committee.

Voting record

How Laura Moffatt voted on key issues since 2001 ( [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/laura_moffatt/crawley They Work For You] ):

* Voted against a transparent Parliament.
* Voted for introducing a smoking ban.
* Voted for introducing ID cards.
* Voted for introducing foundation hospitals.
* Voted for introducing student top-up fees.
* Voted for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
* Voted for the Iraq war.
* Voted against investigating the Iraq war.
* Voted for replacing Trident.
* Voted for the hunting ban.
* Voted for equal gay rights.

Personal life

She married Colin Moffatt in 1975 in Crawley and they have three grown up sons, Russell, Alistair and Edward. She lives in the Broadfield area of the town

External links

* [http://www.lauramoffattmp.co.uk Laura Moffatt] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-3678,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Laura Moffatt MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/laura_moffatt/crawley TheyWorkForYou.com - Laura Moffatt MP]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/166.stm BBC Politics page]

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4126072.stm Supporting muslim women after London bombings in 2005]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/england/4456915.stm Having the support of John Prescott in 2005]