Shortly after winning Bristol West, Debbonaire was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has not attended a Parliamentary vote since June 2015. Born in 1966 to an Tamil father and an English mother, Debbonaire was educated at Bradford Girls" Grammar School and Chetham"s School of Music, then took the first stage of a Mathematics degree at the University of Oxford, and at the same time trained as a cellist at the Royal College of Music.
Debbonaire expects to return to Westminster in February 2016. Subsequently she gained an M.Sc in Management, Development and Social Responsibility at the University of Bristol. Before becoming an Member of Parliament, she performed professionally as a classical cellist, including for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
She has worked as National Children’s Officer for the Women"s Aid Federation of England (1991-1998), for which she moved to Street Werburghs in Bristol, and later as National Research Manager for Respect, an anti-domestic violence organisation (2006-2008).
She has co-authored two books, and a number of papers, about domestic violence. She was a trustee of the University of Bristol Students’ Union.
56th United Kingdom Parliament]
She has been the Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Bristol West since the 2015 General Election, when she beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Stephen Williams.
