Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy (born 1 March 1985)[1] is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clapham and Brixton Hill, previously Streatham, since 2019.[2][3] In 2020, she was briefly Shadow Minister for Immigration. She chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations.[4]
Bell Ribeiro-Addy | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Shadow Minister for Immigration | |
| In office 24 January 2020 – 9 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Afzal Khan |
| Succeeded by | Holly Lynch |
| Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill Streatham (2019–2024) | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Chuka Umunna |
| Majority | 18,005 (42.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy 1 March 1985 Streatham, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present) |
| Education | Streatham and Clapham High School |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford (BSc) Queen Mary University of London (MA) BPP Law School (GDL) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editBellavia Ribeiro-Addy was born on 1 March 1985 in Streatham, growing up in a working-class family on a council estate on Brixton Hill.[5] She is of Ghanaian descent.[6][7]
She attended the private Streatham and Clapham High School on a scholarship. Ribeiro-Addy then graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science with Ethics & Philosophy of Science from the University of Bradford in 2006. She then completed a Master of Arts degree in Medical Law & Ethics at Queen Mary University of London, awarded in 2007, and a Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP Law School, awarded in 2015.[8]
She was the National Black Students' Officer for the National Union of Students (NUS) from 2008 to 2010, national co-ordinator of the Student Assembly Against Racism, and the national convenor of the NUS' Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism campaign.[9] In 2010, she and LGBT+ officer Daf Adley pushed the Durham Union Society to cancel a debate on multiculturalism, threatening to bus coaches of students to Durham for a "colossal demonstration" if British National Party MEP Andrew Brons were to speak on campus.[10]
She has described herself as a "life-long socialist".[11] Ribeiro-Addy was chief of staff to former Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott from 2016 to 2019.[12][13]
Parliamentary career
editAt the 2019 general election, Ribeiro-Addy was elected to Parliament as MP for Streatham with 54.8% of the vote and a majority of 17,690 votes.[14][15] Ribeiro-Addy in her maiden speech called for some form of reparations to former colonial subjects,[16] and spoke of the injustices faced by black people in Britain.[17] In one of her first news interviews as an MP, she called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ghana, stating that it is her duty to make sure all people are free, and not discriminated against.[18]
In January 2020, Ribeiro-Addy was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration, just weeks after her election as a member of parliament. She was not retained in the role following the election of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader.[19]
In February 2020, she challenged the role of the media in devaluing black female MPs, particularly regarding errors by BBC Parliament and other outlets involving the mislabelling of photos of black female Labour MPs Marsha de Cordova and Dawn Butler.[20][21]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, Ribeiro-Addy called on the government to release people held in immigration detention centres.[22]
Ribeiro-Addy supported adopting a Zero-COVID strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote an article in June 2021 in support of delaying the lifting of lockdown, criticised a "vaccine only" approach and called for the continuation of restrictions until case numbers reach zero.[23] In December 2021, she voted against the introduction of vaccine passports and mandatory vaccination of NHS staff.[24][25]
Ribeiro-Addy – whose first UK-born black relative was Thomas Birch Freeman, born in Twyford, Hampshire, in 1809[26] – has called for better black history education in schools, saying in October 2021: "Our civil rights struggle here in the UK is not one that we learn about as much."[27]
On 24 February 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ribeiro-Addy was one of 11 Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip after they signed a statement by the Stop the War Coalition which questioned the legitimacy of NATO and accused the military alliance of "eastward expansion". All 11 MPs subsequently removed their signatures.[28]
In the 2019–24 Parliament,[29] she chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations.[4][30] In August 2023, Ribeiro-Addy argued for revision of the British Museum Act 1963, which currently prevents exhibits such as the Benin bronzes and the Parthenon marbles from being returned to their countries of origin.[29]
Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Ribeiro-Addy's constituency of Streatham was abolished, and replaced with Clapham and Brixton Hill. At the 2024 general election, Ribeiro-Addy was elected to Parliament as MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill with 56.5% of the vote and a majority of 18,005.[31]
Personal life
editRibeiro-Addy served as a school governor at Saint Gabriel's College, Camberwell, from 2018 to 2022.[32]
References
edit- ^ Brunskill, Ian, ed. (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. Times Books. p. 346. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ Somerville, Ewan (13 December 2019). "Streatham constituency results 2019: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy wins". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Brobbey, Lucille (13 December 2019). "Streatham election results in full: Labour's Bell Ribeiro-Addy gains seat". SW Londoner. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 5 April 2023]: Afrikan Reparations". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023.
- ^ "About Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP for Streatham". Bell Ribeiro-Addy. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Bokpe, Seth (13 December 2019). "UK elections: Two Ghanaian women win seats for Labour". The Ghana Report. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (Labour)". OBV. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "International Women's Day- Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy". Heart Streatham. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP". AKADi Magazine. No. 6: Ghanaians in Politics. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Tallentire, Mark (10 February 2010). "Student union apologises over BNP claim". Northern Echo.
- ^ "Local left candidate squares off Nov. 2 in Streatham V. two councillors from Blairite-dominated Lambeth". The Skwawkbox. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Holmes, Tom (13 December 2019). "New Streatham MP vows not to give in to bigotry: 'I never thought I'd see the N-word so much'". SW Londoner. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ Ribeiro-Addy, Bell (18 November 2020). "Diane Abbott MP- 33 years as a Titan of British Politics". Black History Month. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Election results for Streatham". lambeth.gov.uk. London Borough of Lambeth. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ Shah, Hasit (6 October 2020). "What the UK owes in reparations". Quartz. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ Ribeiro-Addy, Bell (18 February 2020). "Being an MP doesn't make any difference - I still face racism in the workplace". The Guardian.
- ^ Apinga, David (2 January 2020). "Homosexuality: 'Allow people to do what they want' - British MP of Ghanaian descent". The Ghana Report.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy appointed as shadow immigration minister". The Voice Online. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ Mohdin, Aamna; Jim Waterson (4 February 2020). "News outlets criticised for mislabelling photos of black MPs". The Guardian.
- ^ "Black MP caption mistakes 'show lack of respect'". BBC News. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ Dearden, Lizzie (1 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Immigration detainees must be released to stop spread of virus, Labour says". The Independent. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Ribeiro-Addy, Bell (18 June 2021). "After a litany of Tory failures, why we still need a Zero Covid Strategy – Bell Ribeiro-Addy #Covid19UK". Labour Outlook. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Mortimer, Josiah (15 December 2021). "Here's how London MPs voted on Covid vaccine passports and mask rules". MyLondon. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "draft Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No.2) Regulations 2021". UK Parliament. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Black History and Cultural Diversity in the Curriculum | 6.25pm: Bell Ribeiro-Addy". Hansard. UK Parliament. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ Sleigh, Sophia (30 October 2021). "'Racist And Condescending' – MP Slams Refusal To Return Benin Bronzes". HuffPost. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ Wearmouth, Rachel (24 February 2022). "11 Labour MPs threatened with suspension for signing Stop The War letter attacking NATO". Mirror. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ a b Batty, David; Brown, Mark (27 August 2023). "Thefts expose British Museum's 'ridiculous' stance on return of artefacts, says MP". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023.
- ^ White, Nadine (21 October 2023). "Britain risks being 'left in the cold' by ignoring demands for slavery reparations, MP warns". The Independent.
- ^ "Election 2024 | Clapham and Brixton Hill results". BBC News. July 2024.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP". LinkedIn.
- ^ Bokpe, Seth (13 December 2019). "UK elections: Two Ghanaian women win seats for Labour". The Ghana Report. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (Labour)". OBV. Retrieved 16 March 2021.