Editing Ruth Kelly (section)

== Career as an MP ==
In the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], Kelly gained the seat of Bolton West from the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] while heavily pregnant, and gave birth to her first son eleven days later. She gained her place in parliament as Tony Blair became Prime Minister with Labour's landslide election victory.

She served on the [[List of Committees of the United Kingdom Parliament|Treasury Select Committee]]; she was also appointed as [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food|Agriculture Minister]], [[Nick Brown]], from 1998. Kelly was a member of a commission set up by the [[Institute for Public Policy Research]] into the [[Private Finance Initiative]], which expressed some scepticism about the operation of the policy.

After Labour won the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], Kelly was appointed as [[Economic Secretary to the Treasury]]. Her role focused on [[competition policy]] and small businesses. After a year she was promoted to be [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]], giving her responsibility for regulation of the financial services industry. In both positions her principal task was in the thorough revision of the Financial Services regulation system which was introduced by the [[Financial Services and Markets Act 2000]]. Kelly brought in new regulations to tackle the funding of [[terrorism]] after [[September 2001 attacks]].

Kelly was assigned the task of dealing with [[The Equitable Life Assurance Society|Equitable Life]] after the Penrose Report into the life insurance company was published. She rejected calls for government compensation to Equitable policyholders, on the grounds that the losses arose from actions of the company rather than from any defect of regulation, and that it was still trading. Equitable policyholders continued to demand redress.

As a mother of four young children, she refused to work the long hours normally associated with such positions and refused to take a [[Red box (government)|red box]] in the evening whilst at the Treasury.<ref>Marie Woolf: [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article66461.ece Ruth Kelly MP: 'I don't have the choice of taking red boxes home. I have four children, and they want their mum'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204148/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article66461.ece |date=30 September 2007 }}, [[The Independent]], 29 March 2004.</ref>

In a minor reshuffle, she was promoted to be [[Minister for the Cabinet Office]] on 9 September 2004, replacing [[Douglas Alexander]]. Kelly guided the [[Civil Contingencies Bill]] through its final stages in Parliament, which faced serious objections from some [[civil liberties]] campaigns.<ref>{{cite news | date = 7 January 2004 | title = Emergency powers plan published | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3375711.stm | publisher = BBC News Online | access-date = 30 November 2006 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070112143109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3375711.stm | archive-date = 12 January 2007 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

===Party loyalty===
Kelly hardly ever voted against the position of her party and in the most divisive votes over Labour's term, she followed the party line.<ref>{{cite web | date = 8 March 2008 | title = They Work For You | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/1433 | publisher = They Work For You | access-date = 8 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173429/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip%2Fmember%2F1433 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> She voted for the Iraq War,<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = Ruth Kelly votes on Iraq was — | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=219 | publisher = The Public Whip | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173546/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=219 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> and subsequently voted against an independent investigation into the run-up to the war.<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = Ruth Kelly votes on Iraq was — | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=975 | publisher = The Public Whip | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173633/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=975 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Kelly also voted for the introduction of tuition [[top-up fees]],<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = University education fees — Should be free | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=367 | publisher = The Public Whip | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173614/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=367 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> in a vote that saw a massive rebellion amongst Labour MPs. She also voted for the introduction of identity cards,<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = 'Identity cards — Against introduction' Ruth Kelly MP, Bolton West | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=230 | publisher = The Public Whip | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173551/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=230 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> voted for replacing Trident,<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = Policy report — 'Trident replacement — In favour' | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=984 | publisher = The Public Whip | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080220173638/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1433&dmp=984 | archive-date = 20 February 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> and argued against the addition of a [[sunset clause]] in part 2 of the [[Civil Contingencies Act 2004]].<ref>{{cite web | date = 6 March 2008 | title = Orders of the Day — Civil Contingencies Bill | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo041117/debtext/41117-07.htm#41117-07_spmin0 | publisher = Hansard | access-date = 6 March 2008 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070708160018/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo041117/debtext/41117-07.htm#41117-07_spmin0 | archive-date = 8 July 2007 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> In a free parliamentary vote on 20 May 2008, Kelly voted for cutting the upper limit for abortions from 24 to 12 weeks, along with two other Catholic cabinet ministers [[Des Browne]] and [[Paul Murphy, Baron Murphy of Torfaen|Paul Murphy]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7409696.stm "MPs back 24-week abortion limit"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330152748/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7409696.stm |date=30 March 2009 }}, BBC News, 20 May 2008.</ref>