Mary Foy (politician)


Mary Kelly Foy is a British Labour Party politician. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham in the 2019 general election. She is a councillor on Gateshead Council.

Early life and education

Foy was born in Jarrow, County Durham and grew up on a council estate. She is the second of five children and her grandparents were Irish immigrants. Her father is a former shipyard worker who lost his job in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher. She has a degree in social sciences that she gained as a mature student.

Career

Foy is a member of both UNISON and Unite the Union. She was a Community Development Worker for Durham City CVS from 2006 to 2013. She was a parliamentary assistant to former Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn. She was elected to represent Lamesley on the Gateshead Council in 2006 and has been in the cabinet since 2009 for health and wellbeing. She is a local party chair for Blaydon and a regional representative of Labour's National Policy Forum.
A socialist and on the left of the party, Foy's bid was backed by several unions. She is a member of Labour's Socialist Campaign Group.

Personal life

Foy has three children: Maria, Kieran and Siobhán. Maria had cerebral palsy and died in 2015.