Margaret Beckett

Margaret Mary Beckett, Baroness Beckett GBE (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour Party politician.

The Right Honourable The Baroness Beckett GBE
Official portrait, 2020
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Jack Straw
Succeeded by	David Miliband
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 8 June 2001 – 5 May 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Nick Brown John Prescott
Succeeded by	David Miliband
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 8 June 2001 – 27 March 2002
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Nick Brown
Succeeded by	Herself
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 27 July 1998 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ann Taylor
Succeeded by	Robin Cook
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry President of the Board of Trade
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ian Lang
Succeeded by	Peter Mandelson
Leader of the Opposition
In office 12 May 1994 – 21 July 1994
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 18 July 1992 – 21 July 1994
Leader	John Smith
Preceded by	Roy Hattersley
Succeeded by	John Prescott
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Housing and Planning In office 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by John Healey Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science In office 12 March 1976 – 4 May 1979 Prime Minister Harold Wilson James Callaghan Preceded by Joan Lestor Succeeded by Rhodes Boyson
Shadow cabinet portfolios 1995–1997 Trade and Industry 1994–1995 Health 1992–1994 Commons Leader 1989–1992 Chief Treasury Secretary
Member of Parliament for Derby South
In office 9 June 1983 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Walter Johnson
Succeeded by	Baggy Shanker
Member of Parliament for Lincoln
In office 10 October 1974 – 7 April 1979
Preceded by	Dick Taverne
Succeeded by	Kenneth Carlisle
Personal details
Born	Margaret Mary Jackson (1943-01-15) 15 January 1943 Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Lionel Beckett ​ ​ (m. 1979; died 2021)​
Alma mater	Manchester College of Science and Technology (BSc)
Website	Official website

Beckett was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. She went to the Notre Dame High School for Girls in Norwich, then to the University of Manchester Institute of Science of Technology.

She was the Member of Parliament for Lincoln from 1974 to 1979. She was the MP for Derby South from 1983 to 2024. She was Leader of the Opposition from May 1994 to July 1994.

Other websites

• Parliament Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
• BBC Archived 2012-10-27 at the Wayback Machine