Thangam Debbonaire

Thangam Debbonaire
Official portrait, 2020
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office
4 September 2023 – 5 July 2024
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byLucy Powell
Succeeded byJulia Lopez
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office
9 May 2021 – 4 September 2023
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byValerie Vaz
Succeeded byLucy Powell
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
In office
6 April 2020 – 9 May 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byJohn Healey
Succeeded byLucy Powell
Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union
In office
7 January 2020 – 4 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byJenny Chapman
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Shadow Minister for Arts and Heritage
In office
14 January 2016 – 27 June 2016
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byKevin Brennan
Member of Parliament
for Bristol West
In office
7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byStephen Williams
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Thangam Elizabeth Rachel Singh

(1966-08-03) 3 August 1966 (age 58)
Peterborough, England
Political partyLabour
SpouseKevin Walton
Education
WebsiteOfficial website

Thangam Elizabeth Rachel Debbonaire (née Singh, 3 August 1966)[1] is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol West between 2015 and 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2023 until 2024.[2] She was previously Shadow Secretary of State for Housing from 2020 to 2021 and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 2021 to 2023.

She was appointed shadow Arts and Culture Minister in January 2016, but resigned the following June owing to her lack of confidence in the Labour Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn.[3] She rejoined his frontbench team as a whip in October that year,[4] before being made Shadow Brexit Minister in January 2020.[5]

In the 2024 general election, Debbonaire ran in Bristol Central (which largely replaced Bristol West following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies) but lost to Carla Denyer of the Green Party.

  1. ^ Thangam Debbonaire (2015). "CURRICULUM VITAE – Thangam Rachel Debbonaire". Democracy Club. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Labour reshuffle live: Angela Rayner gets new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles team". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ Debbonaire, Thangam. "My resignation from the shadow front bench". Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  4. ^ Slawson, Nicola (12 October 2016). "Thangam Debbonaire returns to Labour's frontbench". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  5. ^ Rogers, Alexandra (7 January 2020). "Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire promoted to Labour frontbench with Brexit role". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2010.