Laura Kyrke-Smith
Laura Kyrke-Smith | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Aylesbury | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Butler |
| Majority | 630 (1.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Laura Elizabeth Kyrke-Smith 15 September 1983 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | www |
Laura Elizabeth Kyrke-Smith (born 15 September 1983) is a British politician, academic and charity worker who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aylesbury since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she is the first Labour MP for Aylesbury as well as the first female MP to represent Aylesbury in the House of Commons.[1]
Biography
[edit]Kyrke-Smith was born on 15 September 1983 to Peter St. L Kyrke-Smith and Lyndsay Madeleine Pelly.
Kyrke-Smith was state educated before attending Robinson College, Cambridge, from 2002 to 2005, where she read history and volunteered with the charity Student Action for Refugees.[2] She then went on to study for an MSc in international relations at the London School of Economics (LSE), graduating in 2007.[3]
From 2007 to 2009, Kyrke-Smith was a Speechwriter and Assistant Policy Analyst at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was a Speechwriter to Ministers of State for Africa, Asia, the UN and Human Rights, Mark Malloch Brown and Glenys Kinnock, and Assistant Policy Analyst in the Strategy Unit focused on Africa and conflict issues.
From January 2010 to December 2015, Kyrke-Smith was a Partner at Portland Communications, running the philanthropy service. She then became Director of Communications of the International Rescue Committee, before becoming UK Executive Director in November 2019, a role she held until her election in July 2024.
Kyrke-Smith served as Chair of the socialist society Labour Campaign for International Development from 2013 to 2017, and also was a Trustee of the charity Young Roots between 2005 and 2010. From 2021-2024 she was on the Board of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). [4][5][6]
In the 2021 Buckinghamshire Council elections Kyrke-Smith ran for Labour in the Little Chalfont & Amersham Common ward. [7][8]
In the 2024 general election, Kyrke-Smith stood as the Labour candidate for the constituency of Aylesbury. She gained the Aylesbury seat from Rob Butler, a member of the Conservative Party. Her victory ended a century streak of Conservative and Unionist MPs in Aylesbury, starting in the 1924 general election.
In September 2024, Kyrke-Smith was appointed to the role of Labour's National Health Mission Delivery Champion.[9] She is also a member of the International Development Committee.[10]
She has raised in Parliament issues affecting Aylesbury constituency residents – from improving local infrastructure to improving GP appointment access,[11] and getting better support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.[12]
Bibliography
[edit]Editor
[edit]- Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura, eds. (2007). Development, governance and the media: The role of the media in building African society (PDF) (1st ed.). London: London School of Economics and Political Science. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura; Le Masson, Charlotte, eds. (June 2015). Communicating Global Giving: The Power of Communications in the Era of Philanthropy (PDF) (1st ed.). Strand, London: Portland Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
Author
[edit]- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (October 2007). Berry, Craig (ed.). "Information Intervention and the case of Kosovo: Realising the Responsibility to Protect" (PDF). Knowledge Politics Quarterly. 1 (1). Knowledge Politics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (11 December 2007). ""Information intervention": A Test of Democratic Intent". openDemocracy. London. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (12 December 2007). "Kosovo: is the media wishing for war?" (PDF). Polis Blog (London School of Economics and Political Science). London: London School of Economics. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura (2007). "1 - 'On the eve of something big in media'". In Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura (eds.). Development, governance and the media: The role of the media in building African society (PDF) (1st ed.). London: POLIS – Journalism and Society (London School of Economics and Political Science). pp. 12–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (2007). "7 - The view from the Nigerian newsroom". In Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura (eds.). Development, governance and the media: The role of the media in building African society (PDF) (1st ed.). London: POLIS – Journalism and Society (London School of Economics and Political Science). pp. 56–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura (2007). "8 - The future of African journalism". In Beckett, Charlie; Kyrke-Smith, Laura (eds.). Development, governance and the media: The role of the media in building African society (PDF) (1st ed.). London: POLIS – Journalism and Society (London School of Economics and Political Science). pp. 58–66. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (June 2015). "Social Philanthropists". In Kyrke-Smith, Laura; Le Masson, Charlotte (eds.). Communicating Global Giving: The Power of Communications in the Era of Philanthropy (PDF) (1st ed.). Strand, London: Thinking Publications (Portland Communications). pp. 24–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- Kyrke-Smith, Laura (2017). "7 - Making the Case for Aid: Trump and International Development". In Kearns, Ian [in German]; Murray, Kate (eds.). The Age of Trump: Foreign Policy Challenges for the left (1st ed.). London: Fabian Society. pp. 49–57. ISBN 9780716341291. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
References
[edit]- ^ Lowson, James (5 July 2024). "General Election 2024 results: Aylesbury has its first ever Labour MP". The Bucks Herald. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Bin Brook", Easter 2023, p. 5. Robinson College, Cambridge. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Laura Kyrke-Smith". LinkedIn. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Legraien, Léa (11 March 2024). "Charity leader selected as Labour Party candidate". Civil Society. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Preston, Rob (24 May 2024). "Charity leaders take leave to campaign as parliamentary candidates". Civil Society.
- ^ "IRC announces Laura Kyrke-Smith as new UK Executive Director", International Rescue Committee, 22 January 2020. Retrieved on 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Election results for Little Chalfont & Amersham Common, 6 May 2021". Buckinghamshire.ModernGov.co.uk. Buckinghamshire. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Wareham, Stephanie (5 May 2021). "Everyone you can vote for in the Buckinghamshire Council elections on May 6". Bucks Free Press. Loudwater, Buckinghamshire: Newsquest. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Aylesbury MP given new role by government to help 'rebuild' NHS".
- ^ https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/98/international-development-committee/membership/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Laura Kyrke-Smith MP calls for infrastructure to be considered as part of housebuilding plans".
- ^ "Laura Kyrke-Smith MP delivers speech on the broken SEND system".
External links
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