Bambos Charalambous
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Shadow Minister for the Middle East and North Africa
In office
4 December 2021 – 9 June 2023
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byWayne David
Succeeded byWayne David
Shadow Minister for Immigration
In office
14 May 2021 – 4 December 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byHolly Lynch
Succeeded byJack Dromey
Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction and Courts
In office
9 April 2020 – 14 May 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHolly Lynch
Shadow Minister for Justice
In office
22 January 2020 – 9 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Opposition Whip
In office
6 December 2018 – 9 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byFiona Onasanya
Member of Parliament
for Enfield Southgate
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byDavid Burrowes
Majority4,450 (9.3%)
Personal details
Born
Charalambos Charalambous

(1967-12-02) 2 December 1967 (age 56)
Haringey, London, England
Political partyLabour (suspended)
Alma materLiverpool John Moores University
WebsiteOfficial website

Charalambos "Bambos" Charalambous (born 2 December 1967) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield Southgate since 2017.[1][2] Previously a member of the Labour Party, he served as Shadow Minister for the Middle East and North Africa from 2021 to 2023. In June 2023, Charalambours was suspended as a Labour Party MP after a complaint about his conduct.[3]

Early life

Charalambous was raised in Bowes Park in north London.[4] His parents come from Kalo Chorio and Fasoulla, both near Limassol, in Cyprus.[5][6] He was educated at Chace Boys' Comprehensive School, followed by Tottenham College and then Liverpool Polytechnic[7] (now Liverpool John Moores University). Charalambous read law and was elected as vice president of the Students' Union in 1990.

Career

Charalambous is a solicitor. Before and until his election as MP, he worked for Hackney Council in their housing litigation team.[8]

Charalambous served as a member of Enfield Council for the Palmers Green ward for 24 years. Whilst a councillor, he also served as an Associate Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture, Localism and Young People.[9]

Parliamentary career

Charalambous was the Labour candidate for Epping Forest in 2005, losing to the Conservative incumbent Eleanor Laing, who increased her majority from 8,426 to 14,358. He later contended Enfield Southgate in the 2010 and 2015 general elections, before being elected in the 2017 general election, unseating David Burrowes who had served as the MP for that constituency since 2005.[4]

Charalambous served on the Justice Select Committee. He also served as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on London, Cyprus, Crossrail Two, Autism, Sex Equality, Music, Global Education For All and London's Planning and Built Environment.[10]

In January 2018, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[11] In December 2018, he was appointed as an Opposition (Labour) Whip.[12] Charalambous was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Justice in January 2020.[13]

Following Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader in April 2020, he joined the shadow Home Office team as the Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction and Courts.[14] Charalambous swapped roles with Holly Lynch in a minor reshuffle in May 2021, becoming the Shadow Minister for Immigration.[15]

In June 2023, he was suspended as a Labour MP following an allegation "that requires investigation by the Labour Party."[3]

References

  1. ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11776.
  2. ^ "Bambos Charalambous MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Labour shadow minister suspended over complaint". BBC News. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b Casey, Clare (9 June 2017). "Shock win for the underdog in Enfield Southgate". Enfield Gazette & Advertiser. Tindle Newspapers. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Labour select Cypriot MP candidate for Enfield Southgate". Parikiaki. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Could Bambos Charalambous Labour Parliamentary candidate for Southgate be first Cypriot MP". Parikiaki. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Charalambous, Bambos". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  8. ^ "New boy Bambos talks Cyprus, justice and getting lost in the corridors of power". North London Press. Retrieved 13 July 2017.[dead link]
  9. ^ "Councillor details – Bambos Charalambous". Enfield Council. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ^ "About me". BambosCharalambousMP. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  11. ^ Despina (17 January 2018). "Our own UK Cypriot British MP Bambos Charalambous is promoted by Jeremy Corbyn". Parikiaki. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  12. ^ MP, Bambos Charalambous (6 December 2018). "Absolutely thrilled and honoured to have joined the @labourwhips at this exciting time in Parliament". @bambosmp. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  13. ^ @Bambos_MP (22 January 2020). "It is a real honour to have been asked to serve as a Shadow Justice Minister. I will be leading for Labour on the areas of victims and legal aid. I look forward to working with all the Shadow Justice Team to hold the Government to account and campaigning for access to justice" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Shadow Cabinet – The Labour Party". labour.org.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  15. ^ Rodgers, Sienna. "Reshuffle: Keir Starmer's new Labour frontbench in full". LabourList. Retrieved 15 May 2021.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded byDavid Burrowes Member of the Parliament for Enfield Southgate 2017–present Incumbent
Independent MPs in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Authority control databases: People
Categories