Rosie Winterton

The Right Honourable Dame Rosie Winterton DBE MP
Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Commons
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 October 2010
Leader	Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Nick Brown
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office 12 May 2010 – 7 October 2010
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	George Young
Succeeded by	Hilary Benn
Minister of State for Local Government
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	John Healey
Succeeded by	Grant Shapps
Minister of State for Work and Pensions
In office 24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Mike O'Brien
Succeeded by	Angela Eagle
Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber
In office 24 January 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Caroline Flint
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister of State for Transport
In office 28 July 2007 – 3 October 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Stephen Ladyman
Succeeded by	The Lord Adonis
Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Harold Walker
Majority	10,093 (25%)
Personal details
Born	Rosalie Winterton 10 August 1958 Leicester, Leicestershire, England
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Hull

Dame Rosie Winterton DBE MP (born Rosalie Winterton; 10 August 1958, in Leicester) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster Central since 1997. She served under Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the Minister for Work and Pensions from 2008 to 2009, and the Minister for Local Government from 2009 to 2010. She later entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. In September 2010, she was nominated and elected unopposed as Labour Chief Whip.

Early life

Educated at St. Mary's (now Hill House School, Doncaster), Ackworth School (an independent boarding school) and Danum Grammar School for Girls on Danum Road^[1] and then reading for a BA in History at the University of Hull^[2] in 1979, Winterton first worked as John Prescott's Constituency Personal Assistant from 1980 until 1986,^[2] and then Parliamentary Officers, first for Southwark Council for two years until 1988 and then for a further two for the Royal College of Nursing until 1990.^[2] After working for four years in the private sector, as Managing Director of Connect Public Affairs, she returned to politics to assist John Prescott in 1994; Prescott had been elected as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and Winterton worked as Head of Office for the Deputy Party Leader until 1997.^[2]

Parliamentary career

Winterton became an MP in the 1997 election, serving the safe Labour seat of Doncaster Central constituency with a vote share exceeding 50% in each general election until in 2010, where her vote share fell to 39.7%.^[1] She entered government in 2001, serving as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Lord Chancellor's Department, and became a Minister of State at the Department for Health in June 2003; in January 2006 her responsibilities were changed to Health Services,^[3] including responsibility for NHS dentistry. She presided over the introduction of the new NHS dental contract of April 2006.

In June 2006, she was appointed to the Privy Council,^[4] and she was sworn in on 19 July 2006.

In June 2007, she was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Transport by the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.^[5] Winterton was subsequently appointed Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber in addition to her DfT responsibilities on 24 January 2008. She was promoted to Minister of State for Pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions in the October 2008 reshuffle, retaining her Ministerial brief for Yorkshire and the Humber.

Winterton was caught up in the row over MPs' expenses when it was claimed she used taxpayers' cash to soundproof the bedroom of her south London flat.^[6] According to The Daily Telegraph, the minister claimed a total of £86,277 over four years in additional costs allowance – close to the total allowed under Parliament's green book. In the June 2009 reshuffle Winterton was moved to Minister of State for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government and in that role was invited to attend cabinet when her responsibility was on the agenda

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours.^[7]

References

1. Rosie Winterton: Electoral history and profile The Guardian
2. Official biography
3. Public Whip page about Winterton
4. Norman Reginald appointed to the Privy Council Prime Minister's Office, 27 June 2006 (Archived)
5. Her Majesty's Government Prime Minister's Office (Archived)
6. Watt, Holly (29 May 2009). "MPs' expenses: Rosie Winterton claimed for soundproofing bedroom". London: Telegraph.
7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 61450. p. N8. 30 December 2015.

External links

• Rosie Winterton MP official constituency website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live