Melanie Johnson
| Melanie Johnson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Economic Secretary to the Treasury | |
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In office 17 May 1999 – 8 June 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Patricia Hewitt |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Kelly |
| Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield |
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In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005 |
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| Preceded by | David Evans |
| Succeeded by | Grant Shapps |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Melanie Jane Johnson 5 February 1955 Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University College London, King's College, Cambridge |
Melanie Jane Johnson (born 5 February 1955 in Ipswich) is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom.
Johnson attended the Independent Clifton High School in Clifton, Bristol. Leaving Bristol for London, Johnson studied at University College London, gaining a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Greek (1976). Following this she moved to Cambridge, continuing to study Philosophy at postgraduate level King's College, Cambridge. From the age of 19 onwards she was an active member of the Labour Party and for over a decade was a County Councillor. From 1981-88, she was Member Relations Officer for Cambridge Co-op, then Retail Administration Manager from 1988-90. She was Assistant General Manager in Quality Assurance for Cambridge Family Health Service Authority from 1990-92. Johnson was a schools inspector for Ofsted from 1993-97.
In 1994 Johnson unsuccessfully stood for Labour in the Cambridgeshire seat at the European Parliamentary election. Two years later she was selected to stand for Labour in the United Kingdom Parliament through an all-women shortlist.
She was first elected in the 1997 election overturning a majority of 6,583. Johnson won her seat, Welwyn Hatfield, following a statement made by her opponent, David Evans, which made national newspaper headlines. Evans was taped by sixth-form students (at Stanborough School, Welwyn Garden City) denouncing Johnson as "a single girl, lives with her boyfriend, three bastard children" and saying she had "never done a proper job". At this time Johnson was working as a school inspector and living with her partner of 18 years, raising their young family. In this taped statement Evans claimed Johnson didn't "have a chance in hell". Evans also criticised her for living in Cambridge rather than actually in his then constituency.
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