Elizabeth Louise Kendall (born 11 June 1971) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2024 to 2025 and as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology from 2025 to 2026. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester West since 2010.
Born in Abbots Langley, Kendall attended Watford Grammar School for Girls. She studied at the University of Cambridge and began her career at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). She became a political adviser to Harriet Harman in 1996 and a special adviser to Harman in the Department for Social Security following the 1997 general election. She left the role after Harman was dismissed from the government the following year. Kendall unsuccessfully stood for the Chesterfield constituency at the 2001 general election. The same year, she returned to government to work for Patricia Hewitt at the Department for Trade and Industry, and then followed her to the Department for Health. After Hewitt left government, Kendall became the Director of the Ambulance Services Network, where she remained until 2010.
Kendal was elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election for Leicester West. The following year, she was appointed to a shadow cabinet-attending role as Shadow Minister for Care and Older People under Ed Miliband. After Labour's defeat at the 2015 general election, she stood in the leadership election to replace Miliband, but finished in last place, behind Jeremy Corbyn. She subsequently returned to the backbenches and supported Owen Smith in a failed attempt to replace Corbyn in 2016. She was reelected in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections. Upon the election of Keir Starmer as Labour leader in 2020, Kendall returned to the frontbench as shadow social care minister. In the 2023 shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow work and pensions secretary.
Following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, Kendall was appointed to government as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Starmer in his ministry. In the 2025 cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. She was dismissed from the government by Andy Burnham and returned to the backbenches in 2026.
Early life and career Elizabeth Kendall was born on 11 June 1971 in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire. She attended Watford Grammar School for Girls, alongside Geri Halliwell. Her father, Richard, left school at 16 and studied finance before going on to be a senior official at the Bank of England. Her mother was a primary school teacher. As children, Kendall and her brother were encouraged to talk about politics and to get involved in community activism. Having originally been a Labour voter, her father became a Liberal councillor in 1979. Her mother was a school governor and Kendall's first political campaign was for a local zebra crossing. After leaving school, she attended Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating with first class honours in history in 1993.
Kendall joined the Labour Party in 1992 and, after graduating from Cambridge, worked at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the area of child development and early years learning. In 1996, she became a political adviser to Harriet Harman, and then became Harman's government special adviser in the Department for Social Security after Labour won the 1997 general election and Harman became a government minister.
In 1998, when Harman was sacked from the government, Kendall resigned and was awarded a fellowship by the King's Fund, a health charity. She also wrote a series of research papers for the IPPR and was appointed as the Director of the Maternity Alliance, a charity for pregnant women. She was unsuccessful in an attempt to be selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Chesterfield at the 2001 general election, following the retirement of Tony Benn.
In 2001, she returned to government to work for Patricia Hewitt, at the Department for Trade and Industry, and then followed her to the Department for Health, where she was involved in bringing in the smoking ban in 2006. After Hewitt left government, Kendall became the Director of the Ambulance Services Network, where she remained until 2010.
Parliamentary career At the 2010 general election, Kendall was elected to Parliament as MP for Leicester West with 38.4% of the vote and a majority of 4,017. She made her maiden speech in a debate on tackling poverty in the UK on 10 June 2010.
Early career, 2010–2015 She was briefly a member of the Education Select Committee between July 2010 and October 2010. She supported David Miliband for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2010.
In Ed Miliband's first reshuffle in October 2010, she joined the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Junior Health Minister where she served under John Healey. In 2011, she contributed along with other Labour MPs and former Labour ministers to The Purple Book, in which she wrote a chapter on the early years and health and social care where she proposed a "Teach Early Years First" scheme. Later that year, she was appointed to the new role of Shadow Minister for Care and Older People and became an attending member of the shadow cabinet.
Kendall was re-elected as MP for Leicester West at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 46.5% and an increased majority of 7,203.
Labour Party leadership candidature
On 10 May 2015, Kendall announced that she was standing as a successor to Ed Miliband for the Labour Party leadership following their defeat in the 2015 general election. Kendall was regarded by many in the media as the Blairite candidate, though Kendall stated she would like to be known as the "modernising candidate". Her leadership bid was supported by Shadow Cabinet colleagues Ivan Lewis, Chuka Umunna, Tristram Hunt, Emma Reynolds and Gloria De Piero. Senior Labour politicians supporting her included Alan Milburn, Alistair Darling, John Hutton and John Reid. She also had the support of the Blue Labour Group within the Labour Party including figures such as Maurice Glasman and Rowenna Davis.
In June 2015, Kendall's leadership bid received praise from The Sun, who said that she is the "only prayer they [the Labour Party] have". The Sun also praised her for saying "the country comes first" in response to Andy Burnham who said "the Labour Party always comes first" in the Newsnight Labour leadership hustings. Commentators from across the political spectrum said that Kendall was the leadership candidate the Conservatives would "fear the most". This claim was even re-stated by some Conservative politicians including George Osborne, Boris Johnson, Ruth Davidson, Anna Soubry and Philip Davies.
Ultimately, Kendall finished 4th in the election, obtaining 4.5% (18,857) of the vote.
Resignation from the Shadow Cabinet Kendall resigned from the Shadow Cabinet following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in September 2015. She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election.
At the snap 2017 general election, Kendall was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 60.8% and an increased majority of 11,060.
In August 2017, James Chapman, former Director of Communications at HM Treasury under George Osborne, said, "We really need Liz Kendall to be the leader of [a] new centre party". Chapman had already tweeted his proposals for a new centrist political party opposed to Brexit, 'The Democrats'. After stepping down from frontline politics, Kendall was a regular guest on BBC current affairs programme This Week until its cancellation in July 2019.
Kendall was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 49.7% and a decreased majority of 4,212.
Return to frontbench Keir Starmer reappointed Kendall to the frontbench after winning the 2020 Labour leadership election. Following the November 2021 shadow cabinet reshuffle, it was announced that Karin Smyth would cover her duties while Kendall was on maternity leave.
On 4 September 2023, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Starmer as part of the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.
Work and Pensions Secretary (2024–2025) At the 2024 general election, Kendall was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 44.6% and an increased majority of 8,777.Leicester West In the aftermath of the election, Kendall was appointed as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. She was appointed to the Privy Council and sworn into ministerial office on 6 July.
Following her appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary, Kendall initiated a series of reforms aimed at reshaping the UK’s welfare system. One of her primary objectives was to shift the Department for Work and Pensions from merely administering benefits to actively promoting employment. In a speech in Barnsley, Kendall said the need to address factors such as health, skills, childcare, and transport, which significantly influence individuals ability to secure and maintain employment.
Kendall proposed the "Youth Guarantee" for 18 to 21-year-olds, designed to ensure that young people are either earning or learning. This program offers opportunities for training or employment, with the stipulation that refusal to participate could result in benefit reductions. Kendall noted the importance of early career engagement, saying that unemployment during youth can have long-term detrimental effects on job prospects and earning potential.
A significant aspect of Kendall’s reform agenda involved tightening eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and incapacity benefits. These measures aimed to save approximately £5 billion annually by the end of the decade. The proposed changes were expected to affect around one million people, particularly those with mental health conditions and minor physical difficulties.
The proposed disability benefits reforms sparked considerable debate. Disability charities and opposition parties criticized the cuts, labeling them as devastating and immoral. Organisations such as the Disability Benefits Consortium, Scope, and Mind argued that these changes could push disabled individuals further into poverty and exacerbate health issues, highlighting the potential social impact of the reforms.
In response to the criticisms, Kendall emphasised the need for a balanced approach that ensured fiscal responsibility while protecting vulnerable populations. She acknowledged the concerns raised by disability advocates and noted the importance of reinvesting savings into employment programs to support those on health-related benefits, aiming to create a more equitable system.
On 1/7/25 Kendall's proposed bill was severely watered down, following backbench pressure, before being passed.
Kendall's tenure in Work & Pensions was marked by internal party challenges, as some Labour MPs expressed apprehension regarding the impact of welfare reforms on disadvantaged communities. The historical context of previous welfare cuts served as a cautionary backdrop, prompting calls for the party to uphold its commitment to social justice while pursuing necessary fiscal reforms.
Science Secretary (2025–2026) In the 2025 British cabinet reshuffle, Kendall was appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, replacing Peter Kyle. On 20 July 2026, she was dismissed by Andy Burnham.
Political views
Economic and fiscal policy