Julie Cooper
Official portrait, 2017
Shadow Minister for Community Health
In office
9 October 2016 – 12 December 2019
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Member of Parliament
for Burnley
In office
7 May 2015 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byGordon Birtwistle
Succeeded byAntony Higginbotham
Personal details
Born (1960-06-20) 20 June 1960
Burnley, England
Political partyLabour

Julie Elizabeth Cooper (born 20 June 1960) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Burnley from 2015 to 2019.

Career

Local politics, and 2010 General Election

An English teacher by profession, Cooper studied at Edge Hill University before going on to teach at secondary level. She then went on to run a Burnley-based pharmacy business with her husband.[1] She was first elected as a Labour councillor for Burnley Borough Council's Bank Hall ward in May 2005, and later became leader of the Labour group. In the May 2012 local elections Labour regained control of the council with Cooper becoming council leader.[2]

She was selected as Labour's candidate to contest the 2010 General Election in December 2009, after the sitting Labour MP, Kitty Ussher decided to stand down at the election. The selection of Ussher's successor caused some controversy, when Labour's National Executive Committee ruled that the constituency should adopt an all female shortlist, a decision it subsequently overturned following accusations of unfairness.[3]

Cooper contested the general election in May 2010, but was defeated by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Gordon Birtwistle. Burnley, which had returned a Labour candidate at every election since 1935, was one of three constituencies in East Lancashire to be lost by the party in 2010, something that local activists blamed on the unpopularity of the government of Gordon Brown.

The loss of emergency hospital services in the town, which were moved to nearby Blackburn, had also become a contentious issue, and Birtwistle had campaigned on a platform to bring them back.[4]

2015 general election and Constituency MP

In July 2013, she was selected to contest the seat again in 2015, an all female shortlist was used, and selection was conducted through a secret ballot.[5] Along with other seats in East Lancashire, Labour regarded winning the Burnley constituency as an important step to return to government.[6]

Among the issues Cooper's campaign focused on were employment, health, and questioning the effects of the austerity programme pursued by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition. She rejected Birtwistle's argument that Burnley Hospital's upgraded urgent-care centre was effectively an accident and emergency department, and claimed credit for new investment in the town during her tenure as leader of the council.[7]

At the election she took the seat back from the Liberal Democrats, defeating Birtwistle with a 6.3% swing in Labour's favour.[8][9] Following the resignation of Ed Miliband as Labour leader in the wake of the election, Cooper was one of 68 MPs to give their support to Andy Burnham in the subsequent leadership contest.[10][11]

Cooper gave her maiden speech to the House of Commons on 1 June.[12][13] On 4 June Cooper was announced as one of twenty House of Commons backbenchers who would be given parliamentary time to introduce a private member's bill, coming fourth on the list.[14] Her bill, to exempt carers from having to pay hospital car parking charges, received its first reading on 24 June.[15] At the second reading, in October, it was talked out in a filibuster by the Conservative MP Philip Davies.[16]

When, in September 2015, Labour elected Jeremy Corbyn as Miliband's successor with 59.5% of first preference votes, and Tom Watson as his deputy, Cooper called for members to support the party's new leadership: "This is a very decisive result. There is no arguing about it. It’s plain to see what the party members want. The job now is to get 100% behind the leader and the deputy."[17] She later supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election.[18]

Cooper supported Remain in the EU referendum.[19] Following the vote, she said she was “in shock” at the result. She added: “There has been a lot of nonsense on both sides but I have certainly never been one for scaremongering. I actually do think this will leave the NHS worse off though. I really do worry for its future”.[20] She also said it was “a time of great uncertainty for business owners in general”.[21] In September 2017, she voted against the European Repeal Bill.[22]

Cooper stood for re-election and was one of the many Labour MPs to be defeated.

References

  1. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (5 May 2010). "Troubles come in threes for Labour as it struggles to hold Burnley". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Live election results: Burnley". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. 2 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Julie Cooper will be Labour candidate in General Election". Blackpool Gazette. Johnston Press. 7 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Moseley, Tom (8 May 2010). "Labour party reflects on three East Lancashire losses". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Julie Cooper to stand for Labour at General Election". Burnley Express. Johnston Press. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (23 April 2015). "General Election 2015: Ed Balls says Labour party has to win our three marginals". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (24 April 2015). "General Election 2015: Liberal Democrats have it all to do in Burnley". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Election 2015: Labour snatch Burnley and Lancaster & Fleetwood". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Julie Cooper gains Burnley seat for Labour". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election?". New Statesman. Progressive Media International. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Support for Andy Burnham from East Lancs MPs". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "House of Commons Official Report: Parliamentary Debates: Monday 1 June 2015" (PDF). Hansard. 1 June 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Collis, Dominic (7 June 2015). "New Burnley MP makes maiden speech in Commons". Burnley Express. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Labour MP Rob Marris tops private members ballot". BBC News. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Private Members' Ballot Bills First Reading: 24 June 2015". Parliament.uk. 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Philip Davies: Why I blocked free parking bill". BBC News. 1 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Collis, Dominic (15 September 2015). "MP's unity call over new leader". Burnley Express. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "EU REFERENDUM: Supporters of the UK Leave and Remain camps make one last plea to East Lancashire voters". Lancashire Telegraph. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "MP fears for jobs after Brexit vote". Burnley Express. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  21. ↑ "Burnley MP Julie Cooper meets with farmers union to discuss Brexit impact". Lancashire Telegraph. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "East Lancashire MPs have been criticised for 'ignoring the will of the people' after Brexit law vote". Lancashire Telegraph. 18 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
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