Caroline Flint

Caroline Louise Flint (born 20 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley from 1997 to 2019.

Caroline was born on 20 September 1961 at a home for unmarried mothers in Twickenham, Middlesex.

Her mother, Wendy Beasley, was a typist who gave birth to her at 17-years old.

Caroline never knew her father's identity, but she was adopted at 2 year-old by TV technician Peter Flint after he married her mother.

She grew-up in a one-bedroom flat with her parents and half-brother and sister, but lost contact with Peter after he divorced her mother during her early teens.

After becoming a heavy drinker, Wendy died from liver failure at the age of 45.

She was educated at Twickenham Girls' School and Richmond Tertiary College.

Flint earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of East Anglia in American Literature/History with Film Studies.

She joined the Labour Party in 1979 and served as women's officer for the National Organisation of Labour Students from 1982 to 1984.

Flint began her career at the Inner London Education Authority, where she was management trainee from 1984 to 1985 and policy officer from 1985 to 1987.

She was head of the women's unit at the National Union of Students from 1988 to 1989.

Flint worked at Lambeth Council as an equal opportunities Officer from 1989 to 1991, and a welfare and staff development officer from 1991 to 1993.

She was a senior researcher and political officer for the trade union GMB from 1994 to 1997.

One of 101 female Labour MPs elected at the 1997 general election, Flint served in the government of Tony Blair as a junior Home Office Minister from 2003 to 2005 and Public Health Minister from 2005 to 2007.

Flint was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley at the 1997 general election.

Flint became Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Peter Hain in 1999, while he was a Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry and Foreign Office.

She was re-elected at the 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2017 general elections.

She is a member of the Fabian Society and of Labour Friends of Israel.

She changes roles to become PPS to John Reid in 2002, while he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Minister without portfolio.

She entered government as a junior minister in June 2003, as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs.

During her tenure at the Home Office, Flint reclassified magic mushrooms as a Class A drug.

She pushed through the bill despite some concerns from Parliamentary colleagues.

Flint was moved to the Public health portfolio at the Department of Health in May 2005, initially as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and as a Minister of State from May 2006.

As a health minister, she was responsible for government programmes such as the prevention of communicable diseases and sex education.

She oversaw campaigns to tackle issues such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

She remained in government under Gordon Brown as both Employment Minister and a Regional Minister from 2007 until 2008, when she was promoted to the Cabinet.

In the 2007 deputy Labour leadership election, Flint was the campaign manager for cabinet minister Hazel Blears.

Her bid was unsuccessful, and she finished sixth-place in the election.

After Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, Flint moved to the Department for Work and Pensions as Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform.

She was also appointed to one of the new regional ministerial roles, as Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber.

A member of the Labour Party, she attended the Cabinet as Minister for Housing and Planning in 2008 and Minister for Europe from 2008 to 2009.

In January 2008, Flint was promoted to attend the Cabinet of the United Kingdom as Minister of State for Housing and Planning.

She was also appointed to the Privy Council.

During her tenure in the role, Flint suggested unemployed council tenants should "actively seek work" as a condition of their occupancy.

She once inadvertently revealed house price forecasts when her briefing papers were visible to the press.

Flint moved roles to become Minister of State for Europe in the October 2008 government reshuffle.

She resigned in 2009, citing disagreement with the leadership of the Prime Minister.

Flint was elected to the shadow cabinet following Labour's 2010 election defeat, and appointed Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary by opposition leader Ed Miliband.

She was Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary from 2011 to 2015, and finished third-place in the 2015 deputy Labour leadership contest.

Flint returned to the backbenches in 2015 and was defeated in her seat at the 2019 general election.