Sue Hayman

Susan Mary Bentley was born on 28 July 1962 in Upper Bucklebury, Berkshire to John and Rita Bentley. She attended St Bartholomew's School in Newbury.[1][2] Bentley studied English literature at Anglia Ruskin University.[3]

Her first job was working in a bookshop.[4] She has also worked in social services.[5] From 1997 to 2001, she worked as the office manager for MP Tess Kingham in Gloucester.[3] She then worked as campaigns and communication manager for MP Mike Foster.[6] Hayman worked in public relations as a consultant for Copper Consultancy where she was account director before becoming their head of public affairs. She then became a self-employed consultant.[3]

Hayman was third on Labour's party list for West Midlands in the 2004 European Parliament election but was not elected as an MEP.[7] She stood as a candidate in the 2005 general election for Preseli Pembrokeshire after the incumbent Labour MP stood down.[6] Hayman lost to Conservative Stephen Crabb.[8] In the 2010 general election, she contested Halesown and Rowley Regis. The constituency had been represented by Labour MP Sylvia Heal since 1997. Hayman lost the seat to Conservative James Morris.[9]

In 2013, she was elected as a councillor on the Cumbria County Council.[10] On the council, she was the vice-chair of the Children's Scrutiny Committee.[3]

She was elected as MP for the all women shortlist seat of Workington in the 2015 general election, she became the first female MP to represent a constituency in Cumbria.[11][12] From July to October 2015, she sat on the Justice Select Committee. Hayman was an opposition whip from September 2015 to October 2016. She campaigned against the closure of Workington's magistrates court. In February 2016, the Ministry of Justice announced that the court would not be closed.[13]

She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[14] In October, following Jeremy Corbyn's re-election as Labour leader, Hayman was appointed as Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities in the opposition's front-bench Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) team.[15] In February 2017, she was promoted to the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following the resignation of Rachael Maskell.[16]

Hayman retained her seat in the June 2017 general election with a majority of 3,925 (9.4%).[17] During the election, the Conservative Party candidate claimed Hayman had breached election rules over mail sent to constituents. However, a complaint sent to the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons was not investigated because the mailing, to flood victims, was unrelated to the election and Hayman had notified it to Parliament once the election was called.[18]

She was co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy,[19] and vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business.[20] Since 2017, she has written articles on the environment and animal welfare in the New Statesman.[21][22]

Hayman supported the United Kingdom (UK) remaining within the European Union (EU) in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum. In the indicative votes on 27 March, she voted for a referendum on a Brexit withdrawal agreement, for Norway plus and for a customs union with the EU.[23]

Hayman lost her seat at the 2019 general election to Mark Jenkinson of the Conservatives.[24][25]

In July 2020, it was announced that Hayman received a nomination for a peerage.[26] She was created Baroness Hayman of Ullock, of Ullock in the County of Cumbria, on 9 September 2020.[27][28] She chose to wear fake fur robes to take her oath of allegiance.[29]

She married Ross Hayman in 1997. They have two daughters and two sons. They live in the village of Ullock in Cumbria.[1][3][4] A keen chorister, Hayman sang in the Parliament Choir and was its chair.[30]

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou