Maria Eagle

Maria Eagle
Official portrait, 2020
Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry
Assumed office
8 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byJames Cartlidge
Minister of State for Justice and Equalities[a]
In office
2 July 2007 – 6 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byGerry Sutcliffe
Succeeded byCrispin Blunt
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children in Northern Ireland
In office
6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byJeff Rooker
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children
In office
17 June 2005 – 6 May 2006
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byMargaret Hodge
Succeeded byBeverley Hughes
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People
In office
11 June 2001 – 17 June 2005
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byMargaret Hodge
Succeeded byAnne McGuire
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Garston
Garston and Halewood (2010–2024)
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded byEddie Loyden
Majority20,104 (47.9%)
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
2016Culture, Media and Sport
2015–2016Defence
2013–2015Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2010–2013Transport
Shadow Minister
2023–2024Defence Procurement
2010Solicitor General
Personal details
Born (1961-02-17) 17 February 1961 (age 63)
Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political partyLabour
RelativesAngela Eagle (sister)
Alma mater

Maria Eagle (born 17 February 1961) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Garston, previously Garston and Halewood, since 1997. She has served as Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry in the Ministry of Defence since July 2024.[1] She served in the Shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.

The twin sister of Angela Eagle, also a Labour MP, Eagle was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire to a working-class family and raised in Merseyside. She studied Philosophy, politics and economics at Pembroke College, Oxford and Law at the College of Law, London. After graduating with her law degree, she worked as an articled clerk and solicitor in both London and Liverpool. After unsuccessfully contesting Crosby in 1992, she was elected as MP for Liverpool Garston at the 1997 general election.

Under Tony Blair, Eagle was a junior minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Skills and Northern Ireland Office. She was Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice and Government Equalities Office under Gordon Brown. Following the 2010 general election, Eagle became Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales. She served in the Shadow cabinet as Shadow Transport Secretary, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Shadow Defence Secretary and finally Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary. She resigned from the Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet in June 2016. She returned to the frontbench as Shadow Minister for Procurement in 2023.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 July 2024.