Luciana Berger

**Luciana Clare Goldsmith**, (born 1981) known as **Luciana Berger** is the Member of Parliament for the Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

## Early life

Berger was born in Wembley. Her father runs a soft furnishings company, and her mother worked as a counsellor for palliative care patients. Berger is the great neice of Manny Shinwell, who was a Labour MP. Berger attended Haberdashers' Aske's school in Elstree. After this, she studied for an undergraduate degree in Commerce with Spanish at the University of Birmingham, and also has a master's degree in Government, Politics and Policy from Birkbeck College, University of London. In 2005, Berger resigned her position on the National Union of Students executive committee in protest at the union's failure to deal with anti-semitism. She was rumoured to be in a relationship with Euan Blair, the son of Tony Blair.

## Political Career

### Early political career

Between 2005 and 2006, Berger worked for Accenture, the government strategy unit. Between 2006 and 2007, she was the government and parliamentary manager of the NHS Confederation. She was the director of Labour Friends of Israel between 2007 and 2010.

### Parliamentary career

Berger first became a Labour MP in 2010. Her candidacy was controversial because she was not from Liverpool, and was from a middle-class background.
Between 2010 and 2013, Berger served as a shadow minister for energy and climate change. Between 2013 and 2015, she was the shadow minister for public health. Between 2015 and 2016, she was the shadow minister for mental health. She was the first person to have ever held this post. In February 2018, Berger was one of eight MPs who broke away from the Labour Party to join the Independent Group. She cited anti-semitism in the Labour Party as the main reason for leaving Labour.

## Personal life

Berger married Alistair Goldsmith, a music manager from Liverpool in 2015. She has a daughter called Amelie Moselle, who was born in 2017. Berger is Jewish.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/61961/page/11778
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/28/luciana-berger-i-have-been-contending-with-issues-surrounding-my-safety-and-security-for-years?CMP=twt\_gu
3. ↑ https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100602/debtext/100602-0016.htm#10060235000141
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487989/Labour-should-have-fought-back-on-immigration-says-Euan-Blairs-girlfriend.html
5. ↑ https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/internships/mentoring/almp/profiles/luciana-berger.aspx
6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/apr/15/highereducation.uk
7. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/crash-landing-for-labour-candidate-parachuted-into-liverpool-1951962.html
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/04/luciana-berger-mental-health-crisis-minister
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/luciana-berger/4036
10. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/crash-landing-for-labour-candidate-parachuted-into-liverpool-1951962.html
11. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-creates-new-dedicated-minister-for-mental-health-in-his-shadow-cabinet-10500075.html
12. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/19/joan-ryan-eighth-labour-mp-quits-party-to-join-breakaway-independent-group
13. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/labour-independent-group-chuka-umunna-luciana-berger-jeremy-corbyn-a8784901.html
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8386836/who-luciana-berger-labour-mp-vote-confidence-resign-antisemitism/
15. ↑ https://www.thejc.com/news/the-diary/luciana-berger-over-the-moon-at-birth-of-daughter-1.435098