Contributor
About Dame
Dame Louise Joyce Ellman is a British politician who represented Liverpool Riverside as a Labour Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2019. Before entering Parliament, she built an extensive career in local government, serving as a Lancashire County Council councillor from 1970, becoming Labour group leader in 1977 and leading the council from 1981 to 1997. During her time at Westminster, she chaired the influential Transport Select Committee from 2008 to 2017, establishing herself as a prominent voice on transport policy matters.
Throughout her career, Dame Louise has been closely associated with Jewish community leadership and pro-Israel advocacy, serving as Chair of Labour Friends of Israel until February 2020 and as Honorary President of the Jewish Labour Movement. She was appointed Vice President of the Jewish Leadership Council in 2016. In October 2019, she resigned from the Labour Party citing concerns about antisemitism and the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn-led government, though she rejoined in 2021. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours. Dame Louise now writes commentary for Comment Central.