Who is Who – Yvette Cooper: Helped Clinton’s campaign, served in Blair and Brown’s governments

She once said she entered politics almost by accident. As of yesterday, Yvette Cooper (56) is the new UK Foreign Secretary, appointed in the government reshuffle after having served as Home Secretary since July of last year. Cooper is one of the most experienced politicians in Keir Starmer’s cabinet.

“It’s a great honor to serve as the UK’s Foreign Secretary. From Russian aggression in Europe to the terrible famine and conflict in Gaza – British diplomacy has never been more important. I look forward to representing and promoting British interests around the world,” she wrote yesterday on X.

A Labour politician, Cooper previously served in Gordon Brown’s and Tony Blair’s governments: as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2009–2010), Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2008–2009), and Minister of State for Housing and Planning (2005–2008). In opposition, she was Shadow Home Secretary before Labour’s election victory last summer.

She was first elected as an MP in 1997. Before politics, Cooper worked as a journalist at The Independent. At the age of 23, while studying at Harvard in 1992, she joined Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign team in Arkansas, helping his successful election effort.

British media often highlight her biography, noting that she was the first minister to take maternity leave, and that she and her husband, Ed Balls, were the first couple to serve together in a cabinet under Gordon Brown.

Focus on Security and the Western Balkans

In the fight against human trafficking, the UK signed agreements last year with Western Balkan countries to enhance intelligence sharing, given London’s view of the region as a key route for illegal migration into the EU and UK.

At the time, Cooper, then Home Secretary, said working with Western Balkan partners was crucial:

“By working more closely with Serbia, North Macedonia, and Kosovo, we are sharing intelligence and data and acting across borders to map what’s happening and where – breaking these ruthless gangs’ business models at the source. Through our intensified work, criminals will soon realize they have nowhere to hide.”

One of her final statements as Home Secretary addressed tightening procedures against foreign students in the UK who apply for asylum after their visas expire. She pointed out that around 15,000 students do this each year, and warned they would be removed if they stayed without legal grounds.

Her successor as Home Secretary is Shabana Mahmood, formerly Justice Secretary, who took over Cooper’s role in the reshuffle.

Personal Background

Cooper and her husband welcomed into their home a Ukrainian family – a mother and her two daughters – who fled the war.

Born in Inverness, Scotland, and raised in Hampshire, her father was General Secretary of a professional union and her mother a mathematics teacher. She studied at Oxford, Harvard, and the London School of Economics.

She is married to Ed Balls, and together they have three children.