Margaret Hodge

The Right Honourable Dame Margaret Hodge
Official portrait, 2020
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee
In office 10 June 2010 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Edward Leigh
Succeeded by	Meg Hillier
Minister of State for Culture and Tourism
In office 22 September 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Barbara Follett
Succeeded by	John Penrose
In office 27 June 2007 – 3 October 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	David Lammy
Succeeded by	Barbara Follett
Minister of State for Industry and the Regions
In office 5 May 2006 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alun Michael
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister of State for Work
In office 9 May 2005 – 5 May 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Jane Kennedy
Succeeded by	Jim Murphy
Minister of State for Children
In office 13 June 2003 – 9 May 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Maria Eagle
Minister of State for Universities
In office 11 June 2001 – 13 June 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Tessa Jowell
Succeeded by	Alan Johnson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People
In office 29 July 1998 – 11 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Paul Boateng
Succeeded by	Maria Eagle
Member of Parliament for Barking
In office 9 June 1994 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Jo Richardson
Succeeded by	TBC
Personal details
Born	Margaret Eve Oppenheimer (1944-09-08) 8 September 1944 (age 79) Cairo, Egypt
Political party	Labour
Spouses	Andrew Watson ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1978)​ Henry Hodge ​ ​ (m. 1978; died 2009)​
Children	4
Education	London School of Economics (BA) Bedford College, London
Website	Official website

Dame Margaret Eve Hodge, DBE (née Oppenheimer, formerly Watson; born 8 September 1944) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Barking from 1994 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was previously Leader of Islington London Borough Council from 1982 to 1992. She has held a number of ministerial roles and served as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee from 2010 to 2015.^[1]

Hodge is the daughter of the co-founder of steel firm Stemcor and remains a major shareholder. She was a councillor on Islington Council from 1973 to 1994, was chair of the Housing Committee, and then Council Leader from 1982 to 1992. Hodge later apologised for failing to ensure that allegations of serious child abuse in council-run homes were sufficiently investigated and for libelling a complainant.

Hodge was elected to parliament in a 1994 by-election. She was appointed Junior Minister for Disabled People in 1998 and promoted to Minister for Universities in 2001, subsequently becoming the first Children's Minister in 2003, joining the Privy Council.^[2] In 2005, Hodge became Minister of State for Work. Hodge served as Minister of State for Culture and Tourism from 2007 to 2008 and 2009 until Labour was defeated at the 2010 general election.^[3] She has remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher since then.