Laura Moffatt

Laura Jean Moffatt (born 9 April 1954) is a politician in the United Kingdom. She is Labour Party member of Parliament for Crawley, and was first elected in 1997, after boundary changes led to most of the rural parts of the constituency being removed to neighbouring constituencies.

Early life
Born Laura Jean Field in London in 1954, she was educated at Hazelwick Comprehensive School in Crawley, West Sussex before attending the Crawley College of Technology (now renamed Central Sussex College).

From 1975 until her election to the House of Commons in 1997, she worked a state registered nurse at the Crawley Hospital. She joined the Labour Party in 1979 and was elected to Crawley Borough Council 1984-97 and served as the town's mayor in 1990.

Parliamentary career
She challenged Crawley at the 1992 general election, but lost out to the sitting Conservative MP Nicholas Soames.

At the 2005 general election she was elected to the Commons on the smallest majority in the country at a mere 37 votes. 1,277 voters even opted for the British National Party.

In the Commons she has served variously as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine (2001-03); the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Charles Falconer (2003-05); the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions David Blunkett (2005); the Minister of State at the Department for Education and Skills Jacqui Smith (2005-06), and since 2006 has served as the PPS to Alan Johnson initially as Secretary of State for Education and Skills and since 2007 as Secretary of State for Health. From 1997-2001 she served as a member of the Defence Select Committee.

In 2007, Crawley District Council, the geographic area she effectively represents, became Conservative controlled, which does not bode well for her parliamentary future.

Personal life
She married Colin Moffatt in 1975 in Crawley and they have three grown up sons, Russell, Alistair and Edward. She lives in the Broadfield area of the town

News items

 * Supporting muslim women after London bombings in 2005
 * Having the support of John Prescott in 2005