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The Right Honourable Hilary Jane Armstrong (born 30 November 1945 , Sunderland ) is a British Labour Party Politician . She was promoted into the Cabinet Of The United Kingdom as Chief Whip after the 2001 Election , after spending four years as Minister for Local Government, in which time she was responsible for introducing controversial new local government structures. She was re-appointed as Chief Whip following Labour's third-term victory in the 2005 General Election . Her promotion was the high point of a career which has been low-key but inexorably successful; it has since taken something of a knock with controversies over Select Committee membership and over allegations of strong arm tactics with Labour dissenters over Military Action in Afghanistan . Armstrong faced criticism after government defeats in the Commons over the length of time suspected terrorists can be detained without charge and incitement to religious hatred in the Prevention Of Terrorism Act 2005 . Press commentators have speculated that in losing these votes through miscalculating government support, Armstrong's position has become vulnerable. Armstrong was educated at Monkwearmouth Comprehensive School, West Ham College Of Technology and the University Of Birmingham . A former social worker and university lecturer, Armstrong worked for VSO in Kenya before entering politics. She was first elected as Durham County Councillor for Crook North Division in 1985 . The daughter of Labour MP Ernest Armstrong , she was shortlisted for the vacant Sedgefield constituency in 1983 , only to lose out to Tony Blair . Four years later, she was elected to her father's North West Durham seat on his retirement, by which time she already had her own track record as a campaigner for the North East . She remains a doughty defender of the region's interests and has advocated radical reform of Local Government In The United Kingdom to combat the stagnation of single-party rule. Seen as a politican on the centre left, Armstrong has remained close to her near neighbour Tony Blair and loyal to New Labour's reforming agenda. She was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the late John Smith during his time as Labour leader, and played a large part in his successful fight to institute One Member One Vote at Labour's conference. A member of the Amicus Trades Union (formerly MSF ), her trades union links also came in useful when she helped to shore up support for the rewriting of Clause IV . Armstrong is married to a leading academic, Professor Paul Corrigan . In 2001 he was appointed as a special advisor to her close Cabinet colleague, Alan Milburn , who was then Secretary Of State For Health . He then served as Special Advisor to Milburn's successor, Dr John Reid . Corrigan is credited as the man behind the Labour government's policy on " Foundation Hospitals ". In 2006 , Paul Corrigan returned to the government as a policy adviser to the Prime Minister. She is a keen supporter of Sunderland F.C. . In the 2005 general election, Labour suffered a 6.8% swing to the Liberal Democrats in the North West Durham constituency however it is still considered a " Safe Seat ". David Cameron recently quoted “She must be the first Chief Whip in history to put the Prime Minister in the frame for losing a key vote — which is an interesting career move, to say the least.” EXTERNAL LINKS
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