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Rachel Nancy Blake is a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP)[1] who served as a councillor[2] in London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bow East ward since 2014.[3] Blake was the Deputy Mayor in Tower Hamlets from 2018 until 2022.[4] In July 2024 she was elected Labour MP for the Cities of London and Westminster.[4][5][6][7]

Career

Blake attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, graduating with a BA degree in 2001,[8] before studying for a master's degree in Social Policy at the London School of Economics. She joined the Labour Party in 2003. Early in her career, she was a policy advisor at HM Treasury under Gordon Brown[4] and was a member of Kate Barker's team on a Review of Land Use Planning which was published in December 2006.[9] From 2009 to 2013, she was a manager at East London Housing Partnership.[10]

In May 2014, Blake was elected as a Labour Party councillor for Bow East ward on Tower Hamlets London Borough Council[11] and appointed to the Cabinet in July 2015.[12]

Representing the Local Government Association at a hearing of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee in June 2021, she noted that national regulations often held back and undermined local ambition and innovation on climate change. She called for more ambitious building standards on energy efficiency, but noted that competitions for funding meant councils often wasted resources on bidding rather than getting on with the job.[13] At a Local Government Association community wellbeing ward in December 2021 she attacked poor organisation of the COVID-19 vaccine booster programme.[14]

Rachel Blake is vice-chair of the Labour Housing Group.[15] She was previously the secretary of the London Labour Housing Group[16] and a member of the London Legacy Development Corporation Board. She has campaigned for tougher regulations of short-term rentals in London,[17] housing improvements and other built environment issues.[5][18][19]

Personal life

Blake was born in Manchester and grew up in London, where she currently lives. Her partner, Marc Francis, is a fellow Tower Hamlets borough councillor. She has two sons. She is a member of Unison and the GMB Union.

References

  1. ^ "Contact information for Rachel Blake - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament".
  2. ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Blake".
  3. ^ "Election results for Bow East, 22 May 2014". 22 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Starmer's new Labour MPS will define Britain for a decade - here's who they are". 21 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Gove intervenes over Barbican demolition plans". 17 April 2024.
  6. ^ Foot, Tom (29 July 2022). "Blake chosen to 'turn Two Cities red' at next election". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Our rundown of Labour parliamentary selections over the weekend". LabourList. 25 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Congregations of the Regent House on 28, 29, and 30 June 2001". Cambridge University Reporter. Retrieved 23 July 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Foreword", Barker Review of Land Use Planning (PDF) (Final Report - Recommendations ed.), HMSO, 2006
  10. ^ "Contact Us". East London Housing Partnership. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  11. ^ Piggott, Gareth (September 2014). London Borough Council Elections 22 May 2014 (PDF). London: Greater London Authority. p. 171. ISSN 1479-7879.
  12. ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Blake". democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk. 29 March 2024.
  13. ^ Ford, Martin (24 June 2021). "'Climate change efforts need national support'". The Municipal Journal. London: Hemming Group Ltd. p. 2.
  14. ^ Hill, Jessica (14 December 2021). "Covid booster drive criticised amid call for vaccine hubs within councils". Local Government Chronicle.
  15. ^ "Executive – Labour Housing Group". 17 May 2019.
  16. ^ Spencer, Sheila (9 April 2020). "Rachel Blake".
  17. ^ Block, India (20 February 2024). "New restrictions on short-term letting could just be 'more hot air'". Evening Standard.
  18. ^ Rees, Linus (16 October 2023). "Candidate for 'two cities' says Labour will insulate homes and help families cut energy bills". Fitzrovia News.
  19. ^ Spocchia, Gino (28 September 2023). "Five takeaways from AJ Retrofit Live: 'Net zero is here to stay'". Architects' Journal.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Cities of London and Westminster
2024–present 		Incumbent
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