Dame Meg Hillier is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, having first been elected to parliament at the 2005 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Dame Meg won 24,724 votes, representing 59.3% of the vote. The Green Party candidate, Laura-Louise Fairley, received 9,987 votes (23.9%), while the Conservative candidate, Joanna Reeves, secured 2,076 votes (5.0%). Hillier was duly elected with a majority of 14,737 votes.

The Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency covers areas in North East London including central Hackney, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Homerton and Victoria Park. It is considered an exceptionally safe Labour seat.

Hillier’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch was Brian Sedgemore, who represented the seat from 1983 to 2005.

Hillier was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2021 for political and parliamentary service.

Political Career

Hillier has chaired the Treasury select committee since September 2024. The committee is tasked with scrutinising His Majesty’s Treasury and government policy on taxation and public spending. The committee’s remit also extends to scrutinising major financial institutions that shape the UK economy, including the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

By virtue of this role, Hillier sits on the liaison committee – the “super committee” composed of the cross-party chairs of all the other commons select committees. It has a broad oversight role, but is best known for its questioning of the prime minister in sessions that take place two or three times a year. A senior MP, Hillier has served as chair of the liaison committee since December 2024. She first became a member of the committee in 2015.

Under the last Labour government, Hillier served as parliamentary under-secretary of state for identity at the Home Office from July 2007 to May 2010. She was shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change, serving in the shadow cabinet constructed by Ed Miliband as Labour leader, from October 2010 to October 2011. She was briefly shadow Home office minister from May 2010 to October 2010, serving in the caretaker/interim Labour frontbench constructed after the 2010 general election.

Hillier is arguably best known for her extensive experience serving on House of Commons committees. She previously chaired the influential public accounts committee (PAC) for nine years, from June 2015 until the 2024 general election. The PAC is the oldest and arguably one of the most powerful select committees in the House of Commons. Its primary function is to scrutinise the value for money of public spending, ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. First established in 1857, the committee does not examine the merits of government policy, only the cost and effectiveness of its implementation.

In a July 2021 article for The House magazine marking the 160th anniversary of the public accounts committee, Hillier stated that the committee’s simple purpose was to ask the questions that “taxpayers and service users want to ask”.

In the context of the “eye-watering sums” spent during the Covid-19 pandemic, she asserted that the need for the PAC’s work on transparency and accountability had “never been greater” and pledged that the committee would continue to “pin down Whitehall mandarins on the numbers”.

Hillier was previously a member of the public accounts committee from October 2011 to March 2015, and of the Northern Ireland affairs committee from July 2005 to October 2006.

Hillier stood for election as speaker of the House of Commons in 2019 – but she was eliminated after the first round of voting after securing the support of only 10 colleagues (1.8%). Among her supporters were Layla Moran, Emma Hardy, Sarah Champion, Lee Rowley, Simon Hoare and Deidre Brock. Announcing her candidacy for the speakership in September 2019 Hillier suggested that the turbulent Brexit process illustrated the need for a “powerful parliament”.

She said: “I want to champion parliament with the people, and to repair the reputational damage done in recent years…

“Not for decades has the role and activity of our parliament been so in the headlines, here and around the world. It has been a place of high drama and intrigue. We need a speaker who can champion our greatest institution in the years ahead.”

Hillier delivered her maiden speech on 24 May 2005.

In it she said: “One of the themes of this Labour government in their first two terms has been Sure Start. We all know about Sure Start for under-fives and the support for children and their parents. We have seen huge support and funding for primary schools, and more funding is going into secondary schools. Sure Start is there at five and at 11.

“We also see it in the 14 to 19 agenda, and we should see a Sure Start for adults as well—adults who need to upskill to contribute to the economic success of this country.”

Before entering parliament, Dame Meg served on Islington London Borough Council from 1994 to 2002, including a term as the borough’s youngest ever mayor (1998-1999).

She was also a founding member of the London Assembly for North East London from 2000 to 2004, during which time she served on the board of Transport for London.

Hillier was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for political and parliamentary service.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Hillier was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Labour leadership 2020: Hillier was one of 22 Labour who nominated Emily Thornberry for the party’s leadership in early 2020. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn following the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election, which resulted in Labour’s fewest seats in the House of Commons since 1935.

Thornberry, then the shadow foreign secretary, was one of five candidates to reach the second stage of the contest. However, she was eliminated from the race on 15 February 2020 after failing to secure the required 33 nominations from Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) or three affiliated groups. This left Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Lisa Nandy as the three candidates on the final membership ballot.

Labour leadership 2015: Hillier was one of 26 Labour MPs who did not nominate any candidate for the party’s leadership in June 2015. The election was triggered by the resignation of Ed Miliband following the 2015 general election defeat and was the first to be conducted under the “one member, one vote” system. The contest eventually saw Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran backbencher, win a landslide victory in the first round with 59.5% of the vote, defeating Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.

Corbyn loyalty list: In March 2016, Hillier was labelled as “core group negative” by the Corbyn leadership in a leaked list which categorised Labour MPs by their perceived loyalty. This label suggested the Corbyn leadership viewed Hillier as a critic but not openly hostile.

Labour leadership 2016: Hillier supported Angela Eagle for the party’s leadership in July 2016. The election was triggered by a Hillier to Jeremy Corbyn following the EU referendum, which led to a wave of shadow cabinet resignations and a vote of no confidence supported by 172 MPs.

Eagle, the former shadow first secretary of state, was the first to formally launch a challenge against Corbyn. However, she withdrew from the race on 19 July after attracting fewer nominations than Owen Smith. Hillier subsequently shifted her support to Smith.

Corbyn was ultimately re-elected with an increased mandate of 61.8% of the vote.

Labour leadership 2010: Hillier was one of 33 Labour MPs who nominated Diane Abbott for the party’s leadership in May 2010. The election followed the resignation of Gordon Brown, who stepped down as prime minister and Labour leader after the 2010 general election.

Abbott, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG), secured the minimum 33 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). It came after several senior figures, including Harriet Harman and David Miliband, lent her their support to ensure a ideologically diverse ballot. She finished fifth in the contest with 7.4% of the vote.

Hillier was among those who “lent” their support to Abbott in order to present a “wider field” to the Labour electoral college. She did not vote for Abbott in the final ballot.

In a May 2015 article for LabourList, Hillier argued for a wide and open contest to replace Ed Miliband as leader, warning against allowing the race to become a “beauty contest” between a few established frontrunners.

Of her decision to nominate Abbott in 2010, Hillier stated: “Last time round I nominated my Hackney neighbour Diane Abbott. Neither of us would ever describe ourselves as ideological bedfellows but I sat in the first hustings and thought ‘They all sound much the same’.”

She added: “I urge my colleagues to be courageous and not be afraid of discussion, debate and a wider contest.”

Factional identity and party tradition

SERA: Hillier has been listed as a member of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) – a socialist society affiliated with the Labour Party. Founded in 1973, SERA is the party’s official environmental campaign group. The organisation campaigns on a wide range of issues, including renewable energy, biodiversity, air quality and the transition to a green economy. SERA describes its member MPs as “champions for the environment”.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Hillier supported the Remain campaign in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU), and therefore agreed with a majority of her constituents, 77.2% of whom also voted to Remain. Speaking shortly after the referendum campaign, Hillier said she was “devastated” by the result and regretted the “xenophobic undertones” of the decision to leave.

She said: “The suggestion is they don’t want to welcome people who aren’t British into the UK.

“I worry for Hackney generally as an international community which is made up from people all over the world. A lot of people are concerned about how they are perceived. That this is a sign they are not accepted.”

Article 50: In February 2017, Hillier voted against the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading. In voting against the bill, Hillier defied the party whip – one of 47 Labour MPs to do so.

Remain pledge: During the 2019 general election campaign, Hillier was one of 193 Labour candidates to sign the anti-Brexit “Remain pledge”, drawn up by the campaign group Remain Labour.

It stated: “Labour is committed to a confirmatory referendum, to give you the final say on Brexit. If elected as your Labour MP, I pledge to campaign to Remain in the EU.”

Brexit trade deal: In December 2020, Hillier was among the 37 Labour MPs to rebel against the leadership’s position on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill – which enabled the government to implement and ratify its post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. Keir Starmer, the newly elected Labour leader, argued that while the trade deal negotiated by Boris Johnson’s government was “thin” and flawed, the only alternative at that late stage was a “no-deal” exit. To enforce the leadership’s position, a three-line whip was imposed. Hillier abstained over the bill. One Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, voted against the bill.

Speaking during the bill’s second reading debate, Hillier criticised the short debate time of five hours, declaring: “This is not parliamentary scrutiny… it is much more of a charade.”

She expressed “big concerns” about the role of Northern Ireland, regretting the “lack of thought about that land border” on the island of Ireland during the 2016 referendum campaign and since.

Announcing she would be abstaining on the vote, Hillier maintained that she could not be “complicit in what is a wrecking ball in the name of sovereignty.”

She added: “We now need to drop the ‘remainer’ and ‘leaver’ labels. We need to unite to fill the gaps in the creative and performing arts, in the financial sector, in the recognition of professional qualifications and, above all, in security. It is because of those security measures, in particular, that I cannot be complicit with the Government and will abstain today.”

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Hillier voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): In June 2025, Hillier tabled a “reasoned amendment” to the government’s flagship welfare bill which aimed to reject the proposed legislation. Over 120 MPs went on to sign.

The amendment objected to the fact that the bill had not been subject to a “formal consultation with disabled people” and that “250,000 people will be pushed into poverty” as a result of it, according to a government impact assessment.

The motion also called on the government to wait for the publication of the review into the Personal Independence Payment (Pip), helmed by minister Sir Stephen Timms, and the independent review, conducted by Sir Charlie Mayfield, into how the employment of disabled people could be boosted.

Welfare vote (July 2025): Hillier voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Hillier voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Speaking during the bill’s second reading debate, Hillier warned that a “Rubicon” was being crossed “whereby someone who is terminally ill, according to the definition in the bill, is assisted by the state to die.”

She added: ” That is a fundamental change in the relationship between the state and the citizen, and the patient and their doctor. If we have a scintilla of doubt about allowing the state that power, we should vote against the bill today…

“I had not intended to speak about this today, but she was admitted to hospital as a teenager with acute pancreatitis. The bill would not have covered her, but I did not know for five days – in fact, many months – whether she would live or die.

“For those first five days she did not sleep and she did not eat, and she was crying out in pain. I saw what good medicine can do. It palliated that pain and got her to a place where, although she was unable to eat for two and a half months, she was saved and her pain was managed.”

https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1862474189057191954

In February 2025, Hillier was one of four Labour MPs who sent a mass email sent to their parliamentary colleagues that accused Kim Leadbeater, the sponsor of the assisted dying bill, of portraying a “one-sided view” of expert evidence.

The MPs said the public bill committee scrutinising the bill received evidence that was “weighted towards voices that were known to be supportive of the bill.”

The email was signed by Hillier as well as Antonia Bance, James Frith and Jess Asato.

Social values and conscience issues

Same-sex marriage (2013): In February 2013, Hillier voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Hillier voted in favour of a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Hillier voted against a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Syria airstrikes (2013): Hillier voted against the government’s motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Sanctioned (Russia): In April 2022, Hillier was among the group of MPs placed on a sanctions list by the Russian government. The measure barred them from entering Russia and was presented by Moscow as a retaliatory response to the UK’s stance on the invasion of Ukraine.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition vote (2014): In October 2014, Hillier voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. The motion, passed by 274 votes to 12, called on the government to “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”.

Before Politics

Born Margaret Olivia Hillier in Hampstead, London on 14 February 1969.

She was educated at Portsmouth High School and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Whilst there she was elected Librarian of the Oxford Union Society.

Her career before politics was in journalism, working for regional newspapers and social housing publications.

Personal Life

Hillier married Joe Simpson in 1997. They have three children.

She is Roman Catholic.

In her 2005 maiden speech, Hillier commented: “One of the other inspirations to me has been my mother-in-law. Sadly, she died aged 88 last December. She arrived in this country as a poor Irish immigrant in 1932, aged just 16.

“As she lay dying on a London pavement last December, the hands that came to help her were those of Africans, Indians and Europeans, London’s new migrants, who have contributed so much to this country.”

Trivia

Hillier was the youngest ever mayor of Islington when elected in 1998.

Upon her election in 2005, Hillier was the first woman to represent the constituency of Hackney, South and Shoreditch.