Hazel Blears

The Right Honourable Hazel Blears
Official portrait, 2007
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office 28 June 2007 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ruth Kelly
Succeeded by	John Denham
Minister without portfolio
In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ian McCartney
Succeeded by	The Baroness Warsi[a]
Chairman of the Labour Party
In office 5 May 2006 – 24 June 2007
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ian McCartney
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety In office 13 June 2003 – 5 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by John Denham Succeeded by Tony McNulty Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health In office 11 June 2001 – 13 June 2003 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Gisela Stuart Succeeded by Stephen Ladyman
Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles Salford (1997–2010)
In office 1 May 1997 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Stanley Orme
Succeeded by	Rebecca Long-Bailey
Personal details
Born	Hazel Anne Blears (1956-05-14) 14 May 1956 (age 68) Salford, Lancashire, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Michael Halsall
Alma mater	Trent Polytechnic College of Law
Website	Official website

Hazel Anne Blears (born 14 May 1956) is a British former Labour Party politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) successively for the constituencies of Salford and Salford and Eccles between 1997 and 2015.

One of 101 female Labour MPs elected at the 1997 general election, Blears served in the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio and Chair of the Labour Party between 2006 and 2007, and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2007 to 2009, before resigning as a result of the expenses scandal. Commenting on her resignation, Gordon Brown said that Blears had made an "outstanding contribution" to public life.^[1][2]

Blears was re-elected in 2010 and remained a backbencher, before standing down at the 2015 election.^[3]

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