Oona King was the member of parliament for Bethnal Green in London's East End
before narrowly losing out to ex-Labour Party colleague turned
anti-war candidate George Galloway at
the 2005 General elections by some 800 votes. The daughter of the academic Preston
King she was a ministerial aide to trade secretary Patricia Hewitt.
She's thought to have been the only Labour MP to have lost their seat specifically over
the Iraq war. The large ethnic minority make-up of the constituency made
it a political 'hotbed' in the weeks leading up to the poll.
It was suggested that her political opponents played on her open support
for the Prime Minister's stance on the Iraq war to anger many of her
Muslim constituents, and although it wasn't quite a dirty campaign she was
thought to have suffered anti-Semitic slurs on account of her being part
Jewish.
It's not clear what King will next, but having worked in politics since
1990 she is likely re-emerge in that arena once the post-election dust has
settled.
Date of birth: 22 October 1967 Place of birth:
England
Marital status & family: Married.
Best known as: "...the former Black female MP ousted by
anti-war candidate George
Galloway"
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