Jenny Chapman

Early life and career Chapman was born in September 1973 in Surrey but moved at a young age to Darlington, where she attended Hummersknott School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College. She had work placements attached to prison psychology departments whilst studying for her undergraduate degree.

Political career Councillor Chapman worked as constituency office manager for Darlington Labour MP Alan Milburn. After a career break to have children, she returned to politics at Darlington Borough Council when she was elected as borough councillor for the Cockerton West ward in 2007.

House of Commons In November 2009, Chapman was shortlisted as one of four candidates to succeed Milburn as Labour's parliamentary candidate for Darlington on an open shortlist, i.e. not an all-women shortlist. As a result of her election victory, she decided to stand down as a councillor.

In 2011, Chapman was appointed as Shadow Minister for Prisons. She had previously written policy recommendations on the subject of incarceration, including a recommendation that prison officers should receive training to help them rehabilitate inmates. Chapman campaigned to remain in the European Union in the 2016 EU membership referendum.

She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the subsequent leadership election held in 2016. She later rejoined the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union.

Chapman was one of the many Labour MPs to be defeated at the 2019 general election, losing her seat to Conservative Peter Gibson following 27 years of Labour holding the constituency.

During her time as an MP, she served as a vice-chair of Progress.

After losing her seat, she became chair of Keir Starmer's successful campaign in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election and later accepted the role of political secretary to Starmer in his role as Leader of the Labour Party.

House of Lords In December 2020 it was announced that Chapman would join the House of Lords as part of the 2020 Political Honours. In February 2021, she was made Baroness Chapman of Darlington, of Darlington in the County of Durham.

Chapman was removed as Starmer's political director in June 2021, after what The Times referred to as "months of friction" with Labour MPs, and was re-appointed to the frontbench as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, shadowing Lord Frost at Task Force Europe and the Cabinet Office.

Chapman was made Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean on 28 February 2025, and appointed to the Privy Council in May that year.

Personal life Chapman married fellow Labour MP Nick Smith in July 2014. She has two sons from a previous marriage. Chapman received substantial damages and legal costs.

In August 2023, Chapman was announced as the Chancellor of Teesside University.