About Liz Kendall
Elizabeth Louise Kendall (born 11 June 1971) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2024 to 2025 and as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology from 2025 to 2026. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester West since 2010. Born in Abbots Langley, Kendall attended Watford Grammar School for Girls. She studied at the University of Cambridge and began her career at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). She became a political adviser to Harriet Harman in 1996 and a special adviser to Harman in the Department for Social Security following the 1997 general election. She left the role after Harman was dismissed from the government the following year. Kendall unsuccessfully stood for the Chesterfield constituency at the 2001 general election. The same year, she returned to government to work for Patricia Hewitt at the Department for Trade and Industry, and then followed her to the Department for Health. After Hewitt left government, Kendall became the Director of the Ambulance Services Network, where she remained until 2010. Kendal was elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election for Leicester West. The following year, she was appointed to a shadow cabinet-attending role as Shadow Minister for Care and Older People under Ed Miliband. After Labour's defeat at the 2015 general election, she stood in the leadership election to replace Miliband, but finished in last place, behind Jeremy Corbyn. She subsequently returned to the backbenches and supported Owen Smith in a failed attempt to replace Corbyn in 2016. She was reelected in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections. Upon the election of Keir Starmer as Labour leader in 2020, Kendall returned to the frontbench as shadow social care minister. In the 2023 shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow work and pensions secretary. Following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, Kendall was appointed to government as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Starmer in his ministry. In the 2025 cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. She was dismissed from the government by Andy Burnham and returned to the backbenches in 2026. Her mother was a school governor and Kendall's first political campaign was for a local zebra crossing. In 1998, when Harman was sacked from the government, Kendall resigned and was awarded a fellowship by the King's Fund, a health charity.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.