Yvette Cooper

Biography

Parliamentary service

Party affiliations

Previous ministerial & opposition roles

Voting participation

571st of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 71.4% · Labour average 75.4%

Participation by year

By Parliament

Participation counts aye, no or teller votes in Commons divisions held while the MP sat. Absence has many legitimate causes (pairing, illness, parental leave, ministerial or Speaker duties).

Parliamentary activity

426th of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 489 · Labour average 363

Annual breakdown

Committee memberships

Not currently a member of any committee.

joint 1st of 515 current MPs (488 tied) · all MPs average 99.6% · Labour average 99.5%

Committee membership history

• Home Affairs Committee 2016–2017, 2017–2019, 2020–2021 · attendance 100.0%
• Liaison Committee (Commons) 2016–2017, 2017–2019, 2020–2021 · attendance 100.0%
• National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) 2016–2017, 2017–2019, 2020–2022 · attendance 100.0%

Hansard activity

14th of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 552 · Labour average 425

Counts come from the Hansard record for the Commons and Westminster Hall within the dataset window. Individual contributions and topic analysis are not yet part of the dataset; search Hansard for the full record.

Parliamentary timeline

Generated from seat, party, role and committee records.

1. 1997

   • 1 May 1997 – Became MP for Pontefract and Castleford
   • 1 May 1997 – Joined Labour

2. 1999

   • 11 October 1999 – Appointed: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health)

3. 2002

   • 28 May 2002 – Left role: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health)
   • 29 May 2002 – Appointed: Parliamentary Secretary (Lord Chancellor's Department)

4. 2003

   • 13 June 2003 – Appointed: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Regeneration and Regional Developement)
   • 13 June 2003 – Left role: Parliamentary Secretary (Lord Chancellor's Department)

5. 2005

   • 10 May 2005 – Appointed: Minister of State (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Housing and Planning)
   • 10 May 2005 – Left role: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Regeneration and Regional Developement)

6. 2006

   • 5 May 2006 – Appointed: Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Housing and Planning)
   • 5 May 2006 – Left role: Minister of State (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (Housing and Planning)

7. 2007

   • 28 June 2007 – Appointed: Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Housing)
   • 28 June 2007 – Left role: Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Housing and Planning)

8. 2008

   • 24 January 2008 – Appointed: Chief Secretary to the Treasury
   • 24 January 2008 – Left role: Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Housing)

9. 2009

   • 5 June 2009 – Left role: Chief Secretary to the Treasury
   • 6 June 2009 – Appointed: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

10. 2010

    • 6 May 2010 – Became MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
    • 6 May 2010 – Left role: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
    • 12 May 2010 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
    • 8 October 2010 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities
    • 8 October 2010 – Left role: Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

11. 2011

    • 20 January 2011 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Home Secretary
    • 20 January 2011 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Minister (Equalities Office) (Women and Equalities)
    • 20 January 2011 – Left role: Shadow Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

12. 2013

    • 7 October 2013 – Left role: Shadow Minister (Equalities Office) (Women and Equalities)

13. 2015

    • 14 September 2015 – Left role: Shadow Home Secretary

14. 2016

    • 19 October 2016 – Became Chair of Home Affairs Committee
    • 19 October 2016 – Joined Home Affairs Committee
    • 19 October 2016 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)
    • 28 November 2016 – Joined National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)

15. 2017

    • 12 July 2017 – Became Chair of Home Affairs Committee
    • 12 July 2017 – Joined Home Affairs Committee
    • 30 October 2017 – Joined National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
    • 6 November 2017 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)

16. 2020

    • 27 January 2020 – Became Chair of Home Affairs Committee
    • 27 January 2020 – Joined Home Affairs Committee
    • 11 May 2020 – Joined National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
    • 20 May 2020 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)

17. 2021

    • 29 November 2021 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department

18. 2024

    • 30 May 2024 – Left role: Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department
    • 4 July 2024 – Became MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
    • 5 July 2024 – Appointed: Home Secretary

19. 2025

    • 5 September 2025 – Appointed: Foreign Secretary
    • 5 September 2025 – Left role: Home Secretary

20. 2026

    • 20 July 2026 – Appointed: Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
    • 20 July 2026 – Left role: Foreign Secretary

Constituency: Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley