Marsha de Cordova

Marsha Chantal de Cordova[1] (born 23 January 1976)[2][3] is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Battersea since 2017. She has been Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities since 6 April 2020.

Marsha de Cordova MP
Official portrait, 2017
Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 April 2020
Leader	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Dawn Butler
Shadow Minister for Disabled People
In office 10 October 2017 – 6 April 2020
Leader	Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Marie Rimmer
Succeeded by	Vicky Foxcroft
Member of Parliament for Battersea
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 June 2017
Preceded by	Jane Ellison
Majority	5,668 (9.5%)
Member of Lambeth Council for Larkhall
In office 22 May 2014 – 3 May 2018
Preceded by	Peter Robbins
Succeeded by	Tim Windle
Personal details
Born	Marsha Chantal de Cordova (1976-01-23) 23 January 1976 (age 45) Bristol, England
Political party	Labour
Education	Hanham High School
Alma mater	London South Bank University
Website	marshadecordova.co.uk

Early life and education

De Cordova was born on 23 January 1976 in Bristol, England.[4] She has five siblings, one of whom is professional footballer Bobby Decordova-Reid.[5][6] She was born with nystagmus and is registered blind.[5] De Cordova attended Hanham High School (now Hanham Woods Academy).[2]

She studied Law and European Policy Studies at the London South Bank University. After graduating she worked at a number of charities including Action for Blind People before founding the charity South East London Vision in 2014.[5]

Prior to becoming an MP, she was the engagement and advocacy director at the charity, Thomas Pocklington Trust.[7]

Political career

De Cordova was elected as a Labour Party councillor for the Larkhall ward on Lambeth Council in 2014.[8]

She was elected as MP for Battersea in the 2017 general election.[2] It was previously held by Conservative politician Jane Ellison since 2010.[9]

De Cordova was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Disabled People on 9 October 2017, replacing Marie Rimmer.[10] She was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities by new Labour leader, Keir Starmer, replacing Dawn Butler.

As an MP, she has been involved in campaigning to make the Parliamentary Estate more accessible for disabled people.[11]

In May 2021, alongside celebrities and other public figures, de Cordova was a signatory to an open letter from Stylist magazine which called on the government to address what it described as an "epidemic of male violence" by funding an "ongoing, high-profile, expert-informed awareness campaign on men’s violence against women and girls".[12]

References