Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP
Leader of the House of Commons

The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal, Minister for Women and Labour Party Chair on 28 June 2007.
 
Harriet qualified as a lawyer, worked at Brent Law Centre in London, then became legal officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties and was elected MP for Camberwell and Peckham following a by-election in 1982. In 1984 she was appointed to the Labour front-bench as spokesperson for Social Services, becoming Spokesperson for Health in 1987 and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Labour's Shadow Cabinet in 1992. She was appointed as Secretary of State for Social Security in 1997 and was appointed Solicitor General in June 2001. She was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 9 May 2005. She was appointed as Minister of State at the new Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007. 

Studied politics at York University, then qualified as a lawyer.