The Baroness Hodge of Barking | |
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![]() Official portrait, 2020 | |
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee | |
In office 10 June 2010 – 30 March 2015 | |
Preceded by | Edward Leigh |
Succeeded by | Meg Hillier |
Minister of State for Culture and Tourism | |
In office 22 September 2009 – 11 May 2010 | |
Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
Preceded by | Barbara Follett |
Succeeded by | John Penrose |
In office 27 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 | |
Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
Preceded by | David Lammy |
Succeeded by | Barbara Follett |
Minister of State for Industry and the Regions | |
In office 5 May 2006 – 27 June 2007 | |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Alun Michael |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Minister of State for Work | |
In office 9 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 | |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Jane Kennedy |
Succeeded by | Jim Murphy |
Minister of State for Children | |
In office 13 June 2003 – 9 May 2005 | |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Maria Eagle |
Minister of State for Universities | |
In office 11 June 2001 – 13 June 2003 | |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Tessa Jowell |
Succeeded by | Alan Johnson |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People | |
In office 29 July 1998 – 11 June 2001 | |
Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Paul Boateng |
Succeeded by | Maria Eagle |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
Assumed office 14 August 2024 Life peerage | |
Member of Parliament for Barking | |
In office 9 June 1994 – 30 May 2024 | |
Preceded by | Jo Richardson |
Succeeded by | Nesil Caliskan |
Personal details | |
Born | Margaret Eve Oppenheimer 8 September 1944 Cairo, Egypt |
Political party | Labour |
Spouses | |
Children | 4 |
Education | London School of Economics (BA) Bedford College, London |
Website | Official website |
Margaret Eve Hodge, Baroness Hodge of Barking, DBE, PC (née Oppenheimer, formerly Watson; born 8 September 1944), is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Barking from 1994 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was previously Leader of Islington London Borough Council from 1982 to 1992. She has held a number of ministerial roles and served as chair of the Public Accounts Committee from 2010 to 2015.[1]
Hodge is the daughter of the co-founder of steel firm Stemcor and remains a major shareholder. She was a councillor on Islington Council from 1973 to 1994, was chair of the Housing Committee, and then Council Leader from 1982 to 1992. Hodge later apologised for failing to ensure that allegations of serious child abuse in council-run homes were sufficiently investigated and for libelling a complainant.
Hodge was elected to parliament in a 1994 by-election. She was appointed Junior Minister for Disabled People in 1998 and promoted to Minister for Universities in 2001, subsequently becoming the first Children's Minister in 2003, joining the Privy Council.[2] In 2005, Hodge became Minister of State for Work. Hodge served as Minister of State for Culture and Tourism from 2007 to 2008 and 2009 until Labour was defeated at the 2010 general election.[3] She remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher for the rest of her career in the House of Commons.