Joan Humble

Humble was educated at Keighley Girls (now known as Greenhead High School) and Lancaster University where she received a BA degree in History in 1972. She worked as a civil servant in the Department of Health and Social Security from 1972, before moving to the Inland Revenue in 1973. She left the civil service in 1977 to raise her two daughters. She served as a school governor for fifteen years from 1982. In 1985, she was elected as a councillor to Lancashire County Council where she served until her election to Parliament.

She was elected at the 1997 general election for the new Lancashire seat of Blackpool North and Fleetwood. She defeated the sitting Conservative MP who had previously sat for Blackpool North by 8,946. From 1998 to 2001 she served on select committees for social security, and from 2001 its replacement Work and Pensions. She was the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Childcare, Social Care, Myodil & Army Deaths.

Although selected as the Labour Party candidate to contest the new constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys at the 2010 general election, Humble announced on 27 February 2010 that she would stand down at the election. At the election, the Conservatives gained the seat on a 6.9% swing.

She married Paul Humble in 1972 in Halifax. She is a Christian socialist.

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