Editing Caroline Flint (section)

==Early life and career==
Caroline was born on 20 September 1961 at a home for unmarried mothers in [[Twickenham]], [[Middlesex]]. Her mother, Wendy Beasley, was a typist who gave birth to her at 17-years old.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-05-09 |title=Minister for Europe Caroline Flint describes her remarkable rise to power |url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/may/10/caroline-flint-uk-politics |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Janice |title=Caroline Flint: the night I lost my job on live TV |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/caroline-flint-the-night-i-lost-my-job-on-live-tv-0btgbc28z |access-date=2022-07-29 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Caroline never knew her father's identity, but she was adopted at 2 year-old by TV technician Peter Flint after he married her mother. She grew-up in a one-bedroom flat with her parents and half-brother and sister, but lost contact with Peter after he divorced her mother during her early teens. After becoming a heavy drinker, Wendy died from liver failure at the age of 45.<ref name=":0" />

She was educated at [[Waldegrave School|Twickenham Girls' School]] and [[Richmond Tertiary College]].<ref name="guardianprofile">{{cite news |title=Caroline Flint: Electoral history and profile |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/1753/caroline-flint |url-status=live |access-date=4 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203060331/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/1753/caroline-flint |archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref> Flint earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] from the [[University of East Anglia]] in American Literature/History with Film Studies.<ref name="guardianarticle">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/may/16/1|title=Only Tony Blair himself has purer Blairite credentials ... ambition is the word that crops up most about her work|last=Clark|first=Tom|date=16 May 2008|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=4 January 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530205059/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/may/16/1|archive-date=30 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> She joined the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] in 1979 and served as women's officer for the [[National Organisation of Labour Students]] from 1982 to 1984.<ref name="dlprofile">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/25645.stm|title=Democracy Live – Caroline Flint MP|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=4 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412025251/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/25645.stm|archive-date=12 April 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

Flint began her career at the [[Inner London Education Authority]], where she was management trainee from 1984 to 1985 and policy officer from 1985 to 1987.<ref name="debrett's">{{cite web |url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/f/19479/Caroline%20Louise+FLINT.aspx |title=Debrett's: The Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP |access-date=4 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607204413/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/f/19479/Caroline%20Louise%2BFLINT.aspx |archive-date=7 June 2013 }}</ref> She was head of the women's unit at the [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)|National Union of Students]] from 1988 to 1989. Flint worked at [[Lambeth Council]] as an equal opportunities Officer from 1989 to 1991, and a welfare and staff development officer from 1991 to 1993.<ref name="debrett's" /> She was a senior researcher and political officer for the trade union [[GMB (trade union)|GMB]] from 1994 to 1997.<ref name="debrett's" />