Jo Richardson

Jo Richardson
Chair of the Labour Party
In office 27 October 1989 – 1990
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Dennis Skinner
Succeeded by	Tom Sawyer
Member of Parliament for Barking
In office 28 February 1974 – 1 February 1994
Preceded by	Tom Driberg
Succeeded by	Margaret Hodge
Personal details
Born	28 August 1923(1923-08-28) Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
Died	1 February 1994(1994-02-01) (aged 70) Barking, London, United Kingdom
Nationality	English
Political party	Labour

Josephine (Jo) Richardson (28 August 1923 – 1 February 1994) was a British Labour Party politician. At the time of her death she was Member of Parliament for Barking, a post she had held since 1974.

Early life

She was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. She attended Southend High School for Girls.

Parliamentary career

She contested Monmouth in 1951 and 1955, Hornchurch in 1959, and Harrow East in 1964.

She was seen as a peace campaigner on the hard left of the Labour Party. She was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group but resigned in 1988 in protest at Tony Benn's decision to challenge Neil Kinnock for the leadership. She also served as a member of the Shadow Cabinet. She was a central figure of the feminist left and helped to expand women's rights in Britain and was the head of a group of women MPs that supported the anti-pornography position. She was also a pro-choice campaigner.

Recognition

Jo Richardson Community School, in the borough of Barking & Dagenham, was named in honour of Josephine.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Jo Richardson
• Independent Obituary
• They Work For You

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Tom Driberg	Member of Parliament for Barking 1974–1994	Succeeded by Margaret Hodge
Political offices
Preceded by Dennis Skinner	Chair of the Labour Party 1989–1990	Succeeded by Tom Sawyer