Paula Barker

MP for Liverpool Wavertree

Labour

Paula Barker is the Labour Party MP for Liverpool Wavertree, having first been elected to parliament in December 2019.

In the 2024 general election for Liverpool Wavertree, Barker received 23,077 votes, representing 58.0% of the vote share. The Green Party candidate, Tom Crone, received 6,773 votes (17.0%), while the Reform UK candidate, Adam Heatherington, secured 3,454 votes (8.7%). Barker was duly elected with a majority of 16,304 votes.

The Liverpool Wavertree constituency covers areas in the south-east of the City of Liverpool, including Broadgreen, Childwall, Edge Hill, Kensington, Fairfield, and Wavertree. It is considered a very safe Labour seat, having been held by the party continuously since its recreation in 1997.

Political Career

Barker currently serves on the committee on standards and the committee of privileges (since October 2024). The standards committee oversees the rules of conduct for MPs and investigates alleged breaches; the remit of the privileges committee is to consider any matter referred to it that may amount to a contempt of parliament.

Barker is also a member of the panel of chairs (since November 2025). The panel of chairs is made up of MPs chosen by the House of Commons speaker, typically at the beginning of every parliament, to chair public bill committees and other commons general committees. In this capacity, Barker may chair debates in Westminster Hall and may also act as temporary chair during a committee of the whole House.

Barker stood in the 2025 Labour deputy leadership contest. 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.

In an article for LabourList, Barker said she was running for leader because she was “deeply concerned about the current direction and culture of our party.”

She wrote: “I am worried about the lack of geographical and political diversity at the top of our party. We are a pluralist party at our heart, and we cannot keep moving away from that.”

Barker withdrew from the race after failing to secure enough nominations (80) from fellow MPs.

Barker previously served on the opposition frontbench as shadow minister for devolution and the English regions from September to November 2023.

Barker resigned on 15 November 2023 in order to vote for a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to the King’s Speech in the House of Commons calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war – defying the instruction set out by the party’s frontbench. Labour had tabled its own motion, making a more moderate appeal for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict and ordered its representatives to support that stance.

In a statement, Barker said she was resigning “as a consequence of following my conscience”.

She said her office had been “overwhelmed with correspondence” from constituents who “have made their views and strength of feeling on this matter very clear – and I share that strength of feeling”.

She added: “Israel has the right to defend itself and to defeat Hamas, but it must do so within international law. Self-defence is not a blank cheque…

“I want to see a bilateral ceasefire with the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Only this will provide the space for cool heads to come together to bring about a political and diplomatic solution to this conflict.”

Barker was shadow minister for homelessness and rough sleeping from October 2022 to September 2023. She also served as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the shadow secretary of state for defence, John Healey.

Barker has previously been a member of the public accounts committee (2023-2024), the home affairs select committee (2022-2023), and the justice select committee (2020-2021).

She is co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for ending homelessness.

Barker delivered her maiden speech on 4 February 2020.

In it, she stated: “My socialism is aspirational: it is not about levelling down, but rather levelling up communities that for far too long have suffered at the hands of crushing Tory austerity.”

She also highlighted the influence of the trade union movement on her life.

Barker added: “I did not find politics; politics found me. I owe most things in life – I make no apology for this – to the trade union movement. It was that movement that gave me security at work. It was that movement that made me understand the power of solidarity.

“And it was the working-class movement that made me realise that we, the collective, are the tide that lifts all boats. All these principles were reaffirmed – and thank you to Conservative members – by the Conservative party, which waged an unrelenting assault on my city, attempting to put us into a state of ‘managed decline’.”

Before entering parliament, Barker worked in local government for almost 30 years, including roles at Liverpool City Council, Knowsley Council and Halton Borough Council.

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Starmer stand down: In May 2026, Barker publicly called for Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to step down/set out a timetable for his departure. The move followed the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru.

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Upon withdrawing from the race, Barker was one of 117 Labour MPs who nominated Lucy Powell 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.

Powell, the former leader of the House of Commons, was seen as a candidate representing the party’s “soft left”; she was support by leading soft left figures including Ed Miliband and Andy Burnham. She secured 117 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), above the 80 required, and went on to win the election – defeating Bridget Phillipson with 54.3% of the vote.

Labour leadership 2020: Barker was one of 33 Labour MPs who nominated Rebecca Long-Bailey 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.

Long-Bailey, then the shadow business secretary, was widely regarded as the continuity candidate for the party’s left/Corbynite wing. Long-Bailey finished second with 27.6% of the vote, losing to Keir Starmer, who won a decisive victory in the first round with 56.2%.

Factional identity and party tradition

Socialism26: In May 2026, Barker was a signatory of Socialism26, a political initiative and pressure group launched by a coalition of Labour MPs and general secretaries from several major affiliated trade unions, including Unison, Aslef, the CWU, the TSSA and the FBU. The group described itself as advocating a “programme for change” intended to facilitate a “progressive political reset” within the Labour Party. It called for a return to traditional socialist values and greater internal party democracy.

The initiative was built upon a set of policy demands, including urging the government to “recognise the genocide in Gaza”, deliver full compensation for the “Waspi” women affected by state pension age changes, protect civil liberties and embrace intervention to lower energy bills.

Socialism26 described this programme as “the bare minimum to ensure that the public can see and feel the difference a socialist government makes to their lives.”

Mainstream: Barker is a member of Mainstream, a centre-left network within the Labour Party. The group was launched in September 2025 by the think tank Compass and the activist group Open Labour. It describes itself as a home for “Labour’s radical realists” and aims to influence the direction of the Labour government. It has called on the government to offer a “popular, principled and practical left politics for meaningful change.”

Compass has described the group as “an independent vehicle with the sole task of saving the Labour Party from its clear drift to the right and the unintended paving of the way to a Reform government.”

The group is backed by a number of senior Labour figures, including the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and includes MPs and peers from various traditions within the party – from the left, soft left and the more progressive elements of New Labour.

Barker was formerly associated with the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) of Labour MPs. A PoliticsHome report, published in May 2024, suggested she had left the SCG.

Labour ‘reset’: In March 2026, Barker was among dozens of Labour parliamentarians to co-sign a statement calling for a “reset” in the party’s internal culture and political direction. The statement, supported by an alliance of MPs from both the Mainstream (“soft-left”) and Momentum (left) wings of the party, condemned what it saw as the “insular, centralising approach” of the leadership. It called on Labour to rebuild “basic democracy, pluralism and fair process within our party.”

The intervention followed a series of by-election results in Gorton and Denton, Runcorn and Helsby and Caerphilly.

The statement said: “We stand against the insular, centralising approach of the current leadership that refuses to draw on the energy, talent and ideas of our whole movement, the continued underfunding of public services and local government, and the pandering to the talking points of the far right.”

It added: “We, the undersigned members from every section of the Labour Party – parliamentarians, councillors, internal election candidates, members and trade unionists, pledge to reset the Labour Party.”

Corbyn suspension: In November 2020, Barker was among the 32 SCG MPs to sign a statement declaring that they opposed the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn and calling for the disciplinary action to be “swiftly reversed”.

The statement read: “This decision and the division it causes severely undermines efforts to unite to defeat antisemitism and fully implement the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] recommendations and to challenge and defeat this disastrous Conservative government.”

Corbyn’s suspension came after he issued a response to the EHRC report, arguing “the scale of the [antisemitism] problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents”.

Spycops vote (2020): In October 2020, Barker was one of the 34 Labour MPs to break the party whip by voting against the covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill at its commons third reading. The proposed legislation in question, often referred to as the “spycops bill”, was introduced by the Conservative government to authorise undercover agents and informants to commit crimes while on operations. The Labour Party had whipped its representatives to abstain on the bill on the basis that the legislation is “far from perfect” yet “necessary” due to “the need to provide a clear lawful framework for the use of human intelligence sources”.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Barker was one of the over 120 Labour MPs to sign the reasoned amendment to the government’s flagship welfare bill which aimed to reject the proposed legislation.

The amendment, in the name of senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, 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.

In May 2025, Barker had signed a letter warning the government that the cuts were “impossible to support” and calling for a change in direction.

The letter, signed by 42 Labour MPs, read: “The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over 3 million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected.

“Whilst the government may have correctly diagnosed the problem of a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities for those who are able to work, they have come up with the wrong medicine. Cuts don’t create jobs, they just cause more hardship.”

Welfare vote (July 2025): Barker went on to vote against the 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.

In a speech to the House of Commons after Timms, the minister on duty, committed the crucial U-turn at the despatch box, Barker referred to the saga as “the most unedifying spectacle that I have ever seen.”

She said: “While I am grateful for the concessions, this has further laid bare the incoherent and shambolic nature of the process. It is the most unedifying spectacle that I have ever seen.”

She added: “I implore my government to do the right thing: to pause, take a breath, and let us get this right.

“Before entering parliament I had served local government, the trade union movement and working people throughout my life. Service matters deeply to me, and I see it as my job to do exactly that as a member of parliament.

“I am a passionate believer in the dignity of labour and of secure, well-paid work being the route out of poverty and to opportunity and a life free from fear, but this bill, I regret to say, will create poverty, and has already induced fear.”

Assisted dying

Barker voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025). She was a co-sponsor of the bill.

https://x.com/PaulaBarkerMP/status/1846131495175409776

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Barker voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Social media ban: In January 2026, Barker was one of over 60 Labour MPs to sign a letter to the prime minister calling for the introduction of an Australia-style ban on social media access for children under the age of 16. Organised by Plymouth Moor View MP Fred Thomas, the initiative brought together a cross-factional coalition of backbenchers – spanning the Socialist Campaign Group, Tribune Group and Blue Labour – to demand action.

The letter called on Keir Starmer to “show leadership” by introducing a minimum age for social media access “to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms”.

It stated: “We are all strong supporters of technology, and of this Labour government’s ambition to use tech to improve lives. But successive governments have done far too little to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms.”

Lying amendment: Also in January 2026, Barker was listed as a supporter of an amendment to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, often referred to as the “Hillsborough Law”, that would extend the proposed criminal offence of misleading the public to include MPs and peers. Luke Myer, the Labour MP behind the proposal, argued that his amendment would mean “no-one in parliament would be above the law”, adding: “If politicians deliberately lie to the public, there should be consequences.”

Myer stated: “This amendment is a proportionate, carefully safeguarded response to a real democratic risk. It is not about stifling debate or political disagreement, it is about ensuring that those who seek or hold public office cannot deliberately and knowingly mislead the public without consequence.

“The polling shows that voters across the political spectrum expect parliament to act.”

Myer’s amendment won the support of 30 cross-party MPs.

Palestine

LFPME: Barker has been listed as a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME). The organisation’s stated aim is to promote peace and justice in the region through the application of international law and respect for human rights.

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Barker was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

https://x.com/SarahChampionMP/status/1949769513123094568

Before Politics

Born on 9 May 1972 in Liverpool, Barker was educated at Holly Lodge Girls’ High School in West Derby, Liverpool.

Within Halton Borough Council, Barker became increasingly active in the trade union Unison, serving as Halton Branch Secretary. In May 2015, she became Unison’s North West Regional Convenor, succeeding Angela Rayner in that position.

Personal Life

Barker was born at Sefton General Hospital in Wavertree, Liverpool. Her father died when she was very young, and she was raised by her single mother. Her parents had both worked at the Barker and Dobson sweet factory.

In her maiden speech, Barker referred to her wedding day and referred to her “two sons”.