Barbara Follett, MP for Stevenage, is one of nine Ministers who were appointed in July 2007 to be advocates for their regions. As well as being Minister for the East of England, she is Parliamentary Under Secretary for Women and Equalities.
As regional minister, Barbara Follett acts as champion for the East of England and ensures the unique interests of the region are heard in central Government. She has a key role in bringing together local services and different sections of Government at important times for the region. She is supported by the Government Office and works closely with the Regional Development Agency, particularly in relation to economic development.
Barbara was born in Jamaica in 1942 and is married to author, Ken Follett. Between them they have five children, four grandchildren, and two dogs. She lived overseas for many years including in Ethiopia, South Africa, and France.
Before joining the Labour Party, Barbara worked for Barclays Bank, ran a fruit farm in Stellenbosch, worked for an organisation that provided cheap food for the poor, became acting Regional Secretary at the Institute of Race Relations, and worked for the Centre for International Briefing.
She has a strong background in championing the rights of women and jointly founded the Labour Women's Network. She is a member of the Fawcett Society and the National Alliance for Women's Organisations.
She has a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics and was Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research from 1993 to 1997.
Barbara was elected as MP for Stevenage in 1997. She was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Tessa Jowell as Minister for Women from 2005 to 2006 and as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2006 to 2007. She was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ruth Kelly as Minister for Women from 2006 to 2007. Barbara was a member of the Commons Select Committee for International Development from 1997 to 2001 and the Select Committee for the Modernisation of the House of Commons from 2001 to 2005.
