Barbara Keeley

Keeley was educated at Mount St Mary's College in Leeds and the University of Salford, gaining a BA in Politics and Contemporary History.[3]

Her early career was with IBM, first as a Systems Engineer and then as a Field Systems Engineering Manager. Later she became an independent consultant, working on community regeneration issues across North West England.

She was elected as a Labour councillor on Trafford Council in 1995 on which Keeley served as a member for Priory ward until 2004. She was Cabinet member for Children and Young People, Early Years and Childcare and Health and Wellbeing. From 2002 to 2004, she was Cabinet member for Education, Children's Social Services and all services for children and young people and Director of a Pathfinder Children's Trust. She is a member of the GMB Union, the Co-operative Party and the Fabian Society.

From 2002 to 2005, she worked as a consultant to the charity, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, researching carers' issues — particularly those related to primary health care. She is co-author of the reports Carers Speak Out and Primary Carers.

In the House of Commons, Keeley served as a member of the Constitutional Affairs Select committee and from February 2006, the Finance and Services Committee. On 8 February 2006, she was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Cabinet Office, working with the Cabinet Office Minister, Jim Murphy MP. In June 2006, she moved to be PPS to Jim Murphy as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.

On 16 December 2006, she won the nomination to be the Labour Party candidate for the constituency of Worsley and Eccles South, following boundary changes affecting Worsley.

In 2007, she served as the Parliamentary Champion for Carers Week (11 June – 17 June). She introduced a Private Members Bill — The Carers (Identification and Support) Bill — into the House of Commons on 24 April that year. The Bill would have required health bodies to identify patients who are carers or who have a carer and would make provision in relation to the responsibilities of local authorities and schools for the needs of young carers.

In June 2007, Keeley was appointed as PPS to Harriet Harman as Secretary of State for Women and Equality and appointed by Gordon Brown to chair the Labour Party's manifesto group on Social Care. In October 2008 she became an Assistant Government Whip, and in June 2009 was promoted to Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. In June 2010, she was appointed as a member of the Shadow Health Team and as the Shadow Deputy Leader of the House.

She stood in the 2010 Shadow Cabinet elections, coming 23rd. She was shadow minister for the Department of Communities and Local Government until October 2011.

She was appointed a member of the shadow health team in September 2015 as Shadow Minister for Older People, Social Care and Carers.[4]

She supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[5]

Keeley is concerned about a fall in the number of psychiatrists treating children and young people in England. She has said, "These figures are a severe blow to the government’s plans for children and young people’s mental health, which will come to nothing unless the NHS trains and recruits more child psychiatrists." She has also said, "Children in need of mental health services are being turned away in their droves despite showing evidence of self-harm, while many have to wait six months for treatment to start – all because of a shortage of key clinical staff."[6]

Keeley is also concerned about poor standards of care in many private care homes after an investigation found, elderly residents soiling themselves because staff did not attend to them in time, residents with autism suffering inappropriate and disproportionate physical force, patients waiting excessively long after ringing bells because staff are under pressure, elderly residents not treated with respect with underwear exposed and faeces smeared on a cushion, patients put at risk of attack from other patients and medicines handled unsafely. She stated, "This investigation has exposed the appalling standards of care being provided by some of the largest providers of outsourced residential care which has left large numbers of vulnerable people in need of care suffering terrible indignity and neglect."[7]

Keeley is further concerned about care workers having their wages docked when they are sick. She has said this is "symptomatic of our broken care system. (...) Good care quality depends on workers with good terms and conditions, but in hollowing out our social care system through relentless cuts to council budgets, this government has empowered irresponsible providers that are driving down workers’ conditions and at the same time damaging the quality of care."[8]

She is married to Colin Huggett.[9]

• Official website
• Barbara Keeley on Twitter
• Barbara Keeley on Facebook
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Meet the MP
• BBC Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN