Karen Lee (politician)

In July 2017 Lee was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.[5]

In January 2018, Lee was promoted to Labour's Shadow Home Office Team as Shadow Minister for Fire and Rescue Services.[6] Lee was responsible for formulating Labour's national fire policy and was the party's fire and emergency services spokesman.[24]

In this role, Lee focused on the impact of austerity on firefighter pay and working conditions and called for sweeping reforms[25] to the substandard fire regulations[26] which contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire.[27] Lee also criticised the government for failing to urgently rehouse those affected by the Grenfell tower fire. Lee has several articles relating to her role as Shadow Fire Minister in HuffPost,[26] the Morning Star[25] and LabourList.[27]

Outside of her Shadow Ministerial brief, Lee regularly participates in debates relating to healthcare. Citing her experience as a trainee Nurse, Lee has campaigned to re-instate the Nursing Bursary.[28] She has also accused the government of under-funding and privatising the NHS.[29] Lee is an Ambassador for Breast Cancer Care,[30] and helped to secure a Westminster Hall debate on the future of Breast Cancer treatment.[31]

Lee has spoken regularly in favour of the re-nationalisation of public services, such as railways,[32] and against the public sector pay cap.[33] Lee has also advocated for a more re-distributive taxation system[34] and accused the government of forcing people in Lincoln into poverty through ‘unjust’ welfare policies and the ‘chaotic’ roll-out of Universal Credit.[35]

Lee is considered to be on the left wing of the Labour Party's political spectrum and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs. At The World Transformed festival in September 2018, Lee spoke at a Socialist Campaign Group Rally entitled Towards a Socialist Government.[11]

Lee held elected positions on several All Party Parliamentary Groups, such as the APPG on Breast Cancer.[30] Lee has an interest in international human rights issues; she helped to establish the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf,[36] was the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cuba[37] and was a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet.[38]

Lee voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.[39] She was in favour of a "confirmatory" second vote and contended that a 'no-deal' Brexit would cost jobs in Lincoln.[39]