Yvette Cooper

**Yvette Cooper** (born 20 March 1969) is a British politician who is currently the Foreign Secretary since 5 September 2025. Before, she was the Home Secretary from 5 July 2024 until 2025.

Cooper is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford constituency in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Labour Party. Her husband, Ed Balls, represents the neighbouring constituency of Morley and Outwood.

She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010 under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She was Chief Secretary to the Treasury and then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. After Labour lost the 2010 general election, Cooper was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary, then in 2011 Shadow Home Secretary.

## Other websites

- Official site

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office**: Minister of State (United Kingdom), Minister of State
- **subterm**: 2005–2008
- **suboffice**: Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Housing and Planning
- **office1**: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
- **subterm1**: 2003–2005
- **suboffice1**: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Regeneration and Regional Development
- **subterm2**: 2002–2003
- **suboffice2**: Lord Chancellor's Department
- **subterm3**: 1999–2002
- **suboffice3**: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Public Health


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **subterm**: 2021–2024
- **suboffice**: Shadow Home Secretary
- **subterm1**: 2011–2015
- **suboffice1**: Home Secretary
- **subterm2**: 2010–2013
- **suboffice2**: Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Women and Equalities
- **subterm3**: 2010–2011
- **suboffice3**: Shadow Foreign Secretary
- **subterm4**: 2010–2010
- **suboffice4**: Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Work and Pensions


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Yvette Cooper
- **honorific-prefix**: The Right Honourable
- **image**: Yvette Cooper Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2025 (cropped).jpg
- **office**: Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
- **term start**: 5 September 2025
- **predecessor**: David Lammy
- **primeminister**: Keir Starmer
- **office1**: Secretary of State for the Home Department
- **term start1**: 5 July 2024
- **term end1**: 5 September 2025
- **primeminister1**: Keir Starmer
- **predecessor1**: James Cleverly
- **successor1**: Shabana Mahmood
- **office2**: Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee
- **term start2**: 19 October 2016
- **term end2**: 1 December 2021
- **predecessor2**: Keith Vaz
- **successor2**: Diana Johnson
- **office3**: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- **primeminister3**: Gordon Brown
- **term start3**: 5 June 2009
- **term end3**: 11 May 2010
- **predecessor3**: James Purnell
- **successor3**: Iain Duncan Smith
- **office4**: Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- **primeminister4**: Gordon Brown
- **term start4**: 24 January 2008
- **term end4**: 5 June 2009
- **predecessor4**: Andy Burnham
- **successor4**: Liam Byrne
- **office11**: Member of Parliament (UK), Member of Parliament
for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley

- **term start11**: 1 May 1997
- **predecessor11**: Geoffrey Lofthouse
- **majority11**: 6,630 (18.4%)
- **party**: Labour Party (UK), Labour
- **birth place**: Inverness, Scotland
- **children**: 3
- **parents**: Tony Cooper (trade unionist), Tony Cooper (father)
- **caption**: Official portrait, 2025