18 Facts About Claire Curtis-Thomas

Claire Curtis-Thomas is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Crosby from 1997 to 2010.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was educated at Mynyddbach Comprehensive School on Heol Ddu, Treboeth, Swansea, and studied at University College, Cardiff where she was awarded a BSc degree in mechanical engineering, and at Aston University, where she obtained an MBA.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was awarded an honorary PhD in Technology in 1999.

Claire Curtis-Thomas became a researcher at University College of Wales in Cardiff in 1984, before joining Shell Chemicals, initially as a site mechanical engineer, moving internally in 1988 as the Head of UK Supply and Distribution, and after 1990 was head of environmental strategy until leaving Shell in 1992.

Claire Curtis-Thomas became a research head and development laboratory at with the Birmingham City Council in 1992, before moving internally to be the strategy and business planning head in 1993, leaving the council in 1995.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was elected as a councillor to the Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council in 1995, stepping down in 1997.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was elected to the House of Commons at her first attempt at the 1997 general election for the parliamentary constituency of Crosby.

Claire Curtis-Thomas made her maiden speech, during a debate on the adjournment which she secured on the subject of engineering, on 31 July 1997.

On being elected to parliament she changed her name to Claire Curtis-Thomas, which was a combination of her mother's maiden name of 'Curtis' and her mother's second husband's surname, 'Thomas'.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was one of the few engineers in Parliament and started an all-party parliamentary group Women in Science, Engineering and Design.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was involved with the Waterloo Partnership, a charity based in her constituency which raises money for Waterloo, Sierra Leone.

Claire Curtis-Thomas's Crosby constituency disappeared under constituency boundary changes and was succeeded by Sefton Central, which is a Labour safe seat.

On 7 October 2009 Claire Curtis-Thomas announced her decision to stand down at the 2010 general election.

Claire Curtis-Thomas stated that her decision to stand down was due to the difficulty of continuing to represent her constituents and continue with family life given parliamentary hours.

Claire Curtis-Thomas married Philip Tansley in December 1984 in South Glamorgan, she was then divorced in 1995.

Claire Curtis-Thomas married Michael Lewis Jakub in December 1996 in Cheshire; they have a son together.

Claire Curtis-Thomas was baptised and confirmed in the Roman Catholic faith in November 2003.

Claire Curtis-Thomas is the chief executive of the British Board of Agrement.