Margaret Beckett

The Right Honourable Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP
Minister of State for Housing and Planning
In office 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Caroline Flint
Succeeded by	John Healey
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 5 May 2006 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Jack Straw
Succeeded by	David Miliband
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 8 June 2001 – 5 May 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	John Prescott (Environment, Transport and the Regions) Nick Brown (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)
Succeeded by	David Miliband
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 27 July 1998 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Deputy	Paddy Tipping
Preceded by	Ann Taylor
Succeeded by	Robin Cook
President of the Board of Trade Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ian Lang
Succeeded by	Peter Mandelson
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
In office 19 October 1995 – 2 May 1997
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Jack Cunningham
Succeeded by	Michael Heseltine
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
In office 20 October 1994 – 19 October 1995
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	David Blunkett
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office 21 July 1994 – 20 October 1994
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Nick Brown (Acting)
Succeeded by	Ann Taylor
In office 24 July 1992 – 12 May 1994
Leader	John Smith
Preceded by	Jack Cunningham
Succeeded by	Nick Brown (Acting)
Leader of the Opposition
In office 12 May 1994 – 21 July 1994
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 18 July 1992 – 21 July 1994
Leader	John Smith
Preceded by	Roy Hattersley
Succeeded by	John Prescott
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 9 January 1989 – 18 July 1992
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Gordon Brown
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
Member of Parliament for Derby South
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 June 1983
Preceded by	Walter Johnson
Majority	8,828 (21.6%)
Member of Parliament for Lincoln
In office 10 October 1974 – 3 May 1979
Preceded by	Dick Taverne
Succeeded by	Kenneth Carlisle
Personal details
Born	Margaret Mary Jackson (1943-01-15) 15 January 1943 (age 74) Ashton-under-Lyne, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Leo Beckett
Alma mater	University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
Website	parliament..margaret-beckett

Dame Margaret Mary Beckett, DBE (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South since 1983. She was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith from 1992 to 1994, and briefly served as Leader of the Labour Party after Smith died suddenly. She later served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Tony Blair in a number of roles, becoming Britain's first female Foreign Secretary in 2006.

Beckett was first elected to Parliament in 1974 for Lincoln and held junior positions in the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. She lost her seat in 1979, but returned to the House of Commons in 1983, this time representing Derby South. She was appointed to Neil Kinnock's Shadow Cabinet shortly afterwards, being elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 1992, becoming the first woman to hold that role. When John Smith died in 1994, she became the first woman to lead the Labour Party, although Tony Blair won the election to replace Smith shortly afterwards to assume the substantive leadership.

...
Wikipedia