Jennifer Chapman is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Darlington since the 2010 general election.
Background
Chapman was born in Surrey but moved to Darlington at a young age where she attended Hummersknott School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, before studying psychology at Brunel University, and later took an Master of Arts in archaeology at Durham University.
Career
She had work placements attached to prison psychology departments whilst studying for her undergraduate degree. She has two children from a previous relationship. Chapman worked as constituency office manager for Darlington Labour Member of Parliament Alan Milburn.
In November 2009, Chapman was shortlisted as one of four candidates to succeed Milburn as Labour"s parliamentary candidate for Darlington on an open shortlist.
Chapman said: "This shows that the people of Darlington want to choose a Darlington person who will put the town first." She was elected Darlington Member of Parliament in the 2010 general election with a majority of 3,388. As a result of her election victory, she decided to stand down as a councillor.
Chapman made her maiden speech in Parliament on 7 June 2010, during which she asked for social network services to be regulated to stop paedophiles. She also backed the Building Schools for the Future programme.
In 2011 Jenny Chapman was appointed as Shadow Prisons Minister.
Chapman had previously written policy recommendations on the subject of incarceration including a recommendation that prison officers should receive training to help them rehabilitate inmates. Chapman is a vice-chair of the Blairite organisation Progress.
Politics
After a career break for children, she returned to politics at Darlington Borough Council when she was elected as borough councillor for the Cockerton West ward in 2007. She was selected to stand for parliament by the local constituency party the following month.
Membership
55th United Kingdom Parliament. 56th United Kingdom Parliament.