Karen Patricia Buck is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1997, firstly for Regent"s Park and Kensington North until 2010, and for Westminster North after that.
Education
Born in Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, she was educated at the Chelmsford County High School for Girls and the London School of Economics, from where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Economics, and a Master of Arts in Social Policy and Administration.
Career
She is a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. She joined the Labour Party in 1978. In 1979, she became a research and development worker with Outset, a charity working with disabled people, before joining the Hackney London Borough Council in 1983 initially as a senior disability officer, and from 1986 a public health officer
She began to work for the Labour Party in 1987 as a health directorate researcher, becoming a campaign strategy coordinator in 1992.
She was elected as a councillor to the City of Westminster Council in 1990 and remained on the council until her election to parliament in 1997. Buck was selected to stand for election for Labour through an all-women shortlist.
The seat was based largely on the former Westminster North held narrowly by the Conservative former minister John Wheeler. Wheeler retired, and Buck was elected at the 1997 General Election as the Labour Member of Parliament for Regent"s Park and Kensington North with a majority of 14,657 and has been the Member of Parliament there since.
She made her maiden speech on 17 June 1997.
Following her election to parliament, Buck joined the Social Security Select Committee, and after the 2001 General Election on the Work and Pensions Select Committee. In 2001, her appointment as an Assistant Government Whip was announced without her knowledge and consent. She declined to take up the post.
Buck made her name whilst a councillor at Westminster when she was involved in exposing fraudulent behaviour of Shirley Porter and the Homes for Votes scandal.
She is more pro-hunting-ban than the average Labour Member of Parliament, and against replacing Trident.
Membership
52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament. 54th United Kingdom Parliament.
55th United Kingdom Parliament.
56th United Kingdom Parliament]
However, she did became a member of Tony Blair"s government in the wake of the 2005 General Election as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. In July 2015, she was elected as a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee.