Bell Ribeiro-Addy

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This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Ribeiro-Addy, not Addy.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

MP
Official portrait of Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP crop 2.jpg
Shadow Minister of State for Immigration
In office
24 January 2020 – 9 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byAfzal Khan
Succeeded byHolly Lynch
Member of Parliament
for Streatham
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byChuka Umunna
Majority17,690 (31.3%)
Personal details
Born
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy

(1985-03-01) 1 March 1985 (age 36)
Streatham, London
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Bradford (BSc)
Queen Mary University of London (MA)
BPP Law School (GDL)
WebsiteOfficial website

Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy (born 1 March 1985)[1] is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Streatham since the 2019 general election.[2][3] Solidly on the left of the Party, she considers herself a "life-long socialist" and a feminist[4] and was briefly Shadow Minister of State for Immigration in 2020.

Early life[]

Born and raised in Streatham, Ribeiro-Addy grew up in a working-class family on a council estate on Brixton Hill. She is Christian and of Ghanaian descent.[4][5][6]

Ribeiro-Addy was able to attend the independent Streatham and Clapham High School on a scholarship. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science with Ethics & Philosophy of Science from the University of Bradford in 2006. She then completed a Master of Arts in Medical Law & Ethics at Queen Mary University of London, awarded in 2007, and a Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP Law School, awarded in 2015.[7]

She was the National Black Students' Officer for the National Union of Students (NUS) from 2008 to 2010, national co-ordinator of the Student Assembly Against Racism, and the national convenor of the NUS' Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism campaign.[8] In 2010, she and LGBT+ officer Daf Adley pushed the Durham Union Society to cancel a debate on multiculturalism, concerned for students' safety if far-right BNP MEP Andrew Brons were to speak on campus.[citation needed]

Political career[]

Before becoming an MP, Ribeiro-Addy was chief of staff to former Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott.[9] She has sat as a school governor at Saint Gabriel's College, Camberwell since 2018.

Ribeiro-Addy was elected as the Labour MP for Streatham in the 2019 general election with a majority of 17,690, reduced by over 8,000.

Ribeiro-Addy in her maiden speech called for some form of reparations to former colonial subjects.[10] In one of her first news interviews as an MP, Ribeiro-Addy called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ghana, stating that "it is my duty to make sure all people are free, and not discriminated against."[11]

In January 2020, Ribeiro-Addy was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration, just weeks after her election as a member of parliament. She was not retained in the role following the election of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Leader.[12] She became the Co-chairperson of Labour's left-wing Socialist Campaign Group.

She has challenged the role of the media in devaluing black female MPs, particularly regarding BBC Parliament errors.[13] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ribeiro-Addy called on the government to release people held in immigration detention centres.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  2. ^ "Streatham constituency results 2019: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy wins". Evening Standard. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Streatham election results in full: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy gains seat". SW Londoner. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Local left candidate squares off Nov. 2 in Streatham V. two councillors from Blairite-dominated Lambeth". Skwawkbox. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  5. ^ "UK elections: Two Ghanaian women win seats for Labour". The Ghana Report. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP". OBV. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. ^ "International Women's Day- Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy". Heart Streatham. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy". The Guardian. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Streatham election results: Ribeiro-Addy makes shocking N-word admission". South West Londoner. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  10. ^ Shah, Hasit. "What the UK owes in reparations". Quartz. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Homosexuality: 'Allow people to do what they want' - British MP of Ghanaian descent". 2 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy appointed as shadow immigration minister". Voice Online. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Black MP caption mistakes 'show lack of respect'". BBC News. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  14. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (1 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Immigration detainees must be released to stop spread of virus, Labour says". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2020.

External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Chuka Umunna 		Member of Parliament for Streatham
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""