Meg Munn

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Margaret Patricia Munn (born 24 August 1959, Sheffield), is a politician in the United Kingdom. She is Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley, and was first elected at the 2001 general election.

In May 2005 Munn was appointed Deputy Minister for Women and Equality by Tony Blair in his third Labour government. Munn introduced Civil Partnerships in the UK in December 2005. She was responsible for the Equality Act 2006, and involved in the Work and Families Act 2006. Munn was not initially paid the extra salary given to ministers - legislations limits the number of paid government positions to 109, and Munn's post was the 110th - she did begin receiving a salary in May 2006.

She was elected President of the 2006 Co-operative Congress, and is currently vice-Chair of Progress; previously Chair of the Women's Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party (2003-5), Chair of the Co-operative Group of MPs (2004-5), vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, vice-Chair of the Labour Movement for Europe and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Voice group.

Munn was previously a Nottingham City Councillor. She was a social worker, latterly Assistant Director for Children's Services at City of York Council. Munn was on the regional board of one of the UK's largest co-operative societies, and the management committee of a national co-operative conference centre.

Munn studied languages at University of York, later gaining an MA in Social Work at the University of Nottingham followed by a certificate and diploma in Management Studies from the Open University. She is fluent in German and French. Munn has been an active member of the Methodist Church for over 25 years.

Publications: President's Address to the Co-operative Congress, Co-operatives UK (2006). Foreword to Diversity and the Economy, Tony Pilch The Smith Institute (2006). A chapter in Labour Looks to Israel, ed P.Richards, Labour Friends of Israel (2005). Co-edited Family Fortunes: the New Politics of Childhood, eds Patrick Diamond, Sunder Katwala & Meg Munn, Fabian Society (2004)