Career
She was elected at the 2015 general election, defeating the sitting Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Gordon Birtwistle with a 6.3% swing. She was first elected as a Labour councillor for Burnley Borough Council"s Bank Hall ward in May 2005, and later became leader of the Labour group. She was selected as Labour"s candidate to contest the 2010 general election in December 2009, after the sitting Labour Member of Parliament, Kitty Ussher decided to stand down at the election.
The selection of Ussher"s successor caused some controversy when Labour"s National Executive Committee ruled that the constituency should adopt an all-female shortlist, a decision it subsequently overturned following accusations of unfairness.
Cooper went on to contest the general election in May 2010, but was defeated by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Gordon Birtwistle. The loss of emergency hospital services in the town, which were moved to nearby Blackburn, had also become a contentious issue, and Birtwistle had campaigned on a platform to bring them back.
However, in the May 2012 local elections Labour regained control of the council with Cooper becoming council leader. 2015 general election and Constituency Member of Parliament
In July 2013, she was selected to contest the seat again in 2015, an all-female shortlist was used, and selection was conducted through a secret ballot.
Along with other seats in East Lancashire, Labour regarded winning the Burnley constituency as an important step to return to government.
Among the issues Cooper"s campaign focused on were employment, health, and questioning the effects of the austerity programme pursued by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition. She rejected Birtwistle"s argument that Burnley Hospital"s upgraded urgent-care centre was effectively an accident and emergency department, and claimed cr for new investment in the town during her tenure as leader of the council. Following the resignation of Editor Miliband as Labour leader in the wake of the election, Cooper was one of 68 MPs to give their support to Andy Burnham in the subsequent leadership contest.
Cooper gave her maiden speech to the House of Commons on 1 June.
On 4 June Cooper was announced as one of twenty House of Commons backbenchers who would be given parliamentary time to introduce a private member"s bill, coming fourth on the list. Her bill, to exempt carers from having to pay hospital car parking charges, received its first reading on 24 June.
When, in September 2015, Labour elected Jeremy Corbyn as Miliband"s successor with 59.5% of first preference votes, and Tom Watson as his deputy, Cooper called for members to support the party"s new leadership: "This is a very decisive result. There is no arguing about lieutenant
lieutenant’s plain to see what the party members want.
The job now is to get 100% behind the leader and the deputy.".
