A MALVERN-born member of the House of Lords gave her maiden speech on Friday. 

Jacqui Smith was MP for Redditch between 1997 and 2010 and served in several ministerial positions under former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including as the first female home secretary.

After Labour's victory in the 2024 General Election, she was given a life peerage to join the House of Lords and serve as minister of state for skills, apprenticeships and higher education.

Speaking for the first time in the House, Baroness Smith explained how her appointment was surprising, but also emphasised her experience: "It's 25 years ago almost to the day since I first entered the Department for Education as a schools minister, and in that role I could reflect on my previous teaching careers for 11 years in Worcestershire."

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Baroness Smith's first role in Government was as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment from July 1999 to June 2001. 

Before her career in politics, she had worked as a teacher at Arrow Vale High School, Redditch, Haybridge High School, Hagley and Worcester Sixth Form College.

After losing her seat in 2010, she worked in several roles including as the chairwoman of the Jo Cox Foundation and as a podcast host alongside Iain Dale on LBC.

In her speech, Baroness Smith outlined the Labour Party's plan for education: "We will create a new era of opportunity, especially for those who have seen nothing but dead ends and closed doors.

"Like the parents who are struggling to pay for childcare, like the children whose life chances are damaged through persistent absences from school, or like the workers who are side-lined by technological whirlwinds that have left them wondering what's happened to their jobs.

"Whatever the source, we will work to break down these barriers to opportunity and to deliver economic growth, better health and educational excellence for everyone."

As part of Labour's manifesto pledges, an independent expert-led review of the curriculum has been commissioned to ensure high standards in the curriculum in England.