Who is Kate Osamor, the suspended British-Nigerian UK minister?

Ofunne Kate Osamor, better known as Kate Osamor, is a prominent figure in British politics. She had been serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton since 2015 until her confirmed suspension on Sunday evening after a remark accusing Israel of genocide.

Osamor, who was born on August 15, 1968 to Nigerian parents in North London, spent her childhood in the London Borough of Haringey. Her journey into academia began at Hackney College, where she completed an access course from 2003 to 2006. She then pursued Third World Studies at the University of East London, furthering her understanding of global issues.

After completing her graduation, Osamor worked for The Big Issue newspaper, a street newspaper in the UK, and moved on to work in the National Health Service (NHS).

Osamor served as an executive assistant in a general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours service for nine years and after, as a GP practice manager for two years.

Osamor’s political affiliations lie with the Labour and Co-operative parties. Her political career has seen her hold several key positions.

Before transitioning to UK politics, Osamor was an active member of Unite the Union, an advocacy group for workers’ rights in the UK.

Her journey to parliament began in 2014 when she joined the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party.

In the 2015 General Election, Osamor was elected as the Labour Party candidate for Edmonton, succeeding former MP Andy Love. She received 25,388 votes, expanding Labour’s majority from 9,613 to 15,419 in the constituency.

She also served as the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2018, following the resignations of numerous members of Labour’s ministerial team due to disquiet over the then leadership.

Osamor resigned from the Shadow Cabinet on 1 December 2018, stating she needed “to concentrate on supporting my family through the difficult time we have been experiencing.” Later, she tweeted that she deeply regretted her outbursts and was “working to better manage (her) feelings.”

Osamor is a mother of one. She had a son in 1989, Ishmael Osamor, with her ex-partner Kim Udi. Ishmael was employed in his mother’s Parliamentary office and served as a Councillor and Cabinet Member on Haringey Council before his resignation in 2018 for criminal charges.

Despite her high-profile political career, Osamor has managed to keep her personal life relatively private.

Her newsletter on the eve of holocaust memorial day asking for Gaza to be included in the list of genocides had the Labour Party parliamentary whip withdrawn pending an investigation.

Jewish groups criticized her remarks, and the Holocaust Educational Trust described her comments as a “painful insult to survivors of the Holocaust.” The Board of Deputies of British Jews called her comment “disgraceful,” while the Jewish Leadership Council accused her of abusing Holocaust Memorial Day to attack the Jewish state.

She has since apologized.