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Elizabeth Louise Kendall (born 11 June 1971) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since 2025, having previously served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester West since 2010.
Kendall was born in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, and studied at the University of Cambridge. From 2011 to 2015, she served as Shadow Minister for Care and Older People on the Official Opposition frontbench of Ed Miliband, who invited her to attend meetings of his Shadow cabinet, although she was not technically a Shadow Cabinet member in this position. Kendall stood in the Labour Party leadership election in September 2015 following the resignation of Ed Miliband, finishing in last place. In April 2020, Keir Starmer appointed Kendall Shadow Minister for Social Care on the Official Opposition frontbench.
Kendall joined the Labour Party in 1992 and, after graduating from Cambridge, worked at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the area of child development and early years learning. In 1996, she became a political adviser to Harriet Harman, and then became Harman's government special adviser in the Department for Social Security after Labour won the 1997 general election and Harman became a government minister.
In 1998, when Harman was sacked from the government, Kendall resigned and was awarded a fellowship by the King's Fund, a health charity. She also wrote a series of research papers for the IPPR and was appointed as the Director of the Maternity Alliance, a charity for pregnant women. She was unsuccessful in an attempt to be selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Chesterfield at the 2001 general election, following the retirement of Tony Benn.
In 2001, she returned to government to work for Patricia Hewitt, at the Department for Trade and Industry, and then followed her to the Department for Health, where she was involved in bringing in the smoking ban in 2006. After Hewitt left government, Kendall became the Director of the Ambulance Services Network, where she remained until 2010.
In Ed Miliband's first reshuffle in October 2010, she joined the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Junior Health Minister where she served under John Healey. In 2011, she contributed along with other Labour MPs and former Labour ministers to The Purple Book, in which she wrote a chapter on the early years and health and social care where she proposed a "Teach Early Years First" scheme. Later that year, she was appointed to the new role of Shadow Minister for Care and Older People and became an attending member of the shadow cabinet.
Kendall was re-elected as MP for Leicester West at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 46.5% and an increased majority of 7,203.
In June 2015, Kendall's leadership bid received praise from The Sun, who said that she is the "only prayer they the have". The Sun also praised her for saying "the country comes first" in response to Andy Burnham who said "the Labour Party always comes first" in the Newsnight Labour leadership hustings. Commentators from across the political spectrum said that Kendall was the leadership candidate the Conservatives would "fear the most". This claim was even re-stated by some Conservative politicians including George Osborne, Boris Johnson, Ruth Davidson, Anna Soubry and Philip Davies.
Ultimately, Kendall finished 4th in the election, obtaining 4.5% (18,857) of the vote.
At the snap 2017 general election, Kendall was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 60.8% and an increased majority of 11,060.
In August 2017, James Chapman, former Director of Communications at HM Treasury under George Osborne, said, "We really need Liz Kendall to be the leader of a new centre party". Chapman had already tweeted his proposals for a new centrist political party opposed to Brexit, 'The Democrats'. After stepping down from frontline politics, Kendall was a regular guest on BBC current affairs programme This Week until its cancellation in July 2019.
Kendall was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 49.7% and a decreased majority of 4,212.
On 4 September 2023, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Starmer as part of the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.
Following her appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary, Kendall initiated a series of reforms aimed at reshaping the UK’s welfare system. One of her primary objectives was to shift the Department for Work and Pensions from merely administering benefits to actively promoting employment. In a speech in Barnsley, Kendall said the need to address factors such as health, skills, childcare, and transport, which significantly influence individuals ability to secure and maintain employment.
Kendall proposed the "Youth Guarantee" for 18 to 21-year-olds, designed to ensure that young people are either earning or learning. This program offers opportunities for training or employment, with the stipulation that refusal to participate could result in benefit reductions. Kendall noted the importance of early career engagement, saying that unemployment during youth can have long-term detrimental effects on job prospects and earning potential.
A significant aspect of Kendall’s reform agenda involved tightening eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and incapacity benefits. These measures aimed to save approximately £5 billion annually by the end of the decade. The proposed changes were expected to affect around one million people, particularly those with mental health conditions and minor physical difficulties.
The proposed disability benefits reforms sparked considerable debate. Disability charities and opposition parties criticized the cuts, labeling them as devastating and immoral. Organisations such as the Disability Benefits Consortium, Scope, and Mind argued that these changes could push disabled individuals further into poverty and exacerbate health issues, highlighting the potential social impact of the reforms.
In response to the criticisms, Kendall emphasised the need for a balanced approach that ensured fiscal responsibility while protecting vulnerable populations. She acknowledged the concerns raised by disability advocates and noted the importance of reinvesting savings into employment programs to support those on health-related benefits, aiming to create a more equitable system.
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Kendall's tenure in Work & Pensions was marked by internal party challenges, as some Labour MPs expressed apprehension regarding the impact of welfare reforms on disadvantaged communities. The historical context of previous welfare cuts served as a cautionary backdrop, prompting calls for the party to uphold its commitment to social justice while pursuing necessary fiscal reforms.
Kendall supports a two-state solution, but in 2015 she abstained on a motion recognising the Palestine, instead favouring the continuation of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. She has been a member of Labour Friends of Israel .
She announced she was in favour of legislation on assisted dying in November 2024. Alongside the Labour government, she announced on 17 December 2024 that the WASPI women would not be compensated as "no evidence of financial loss had been given".
Kendall is currently in relationship with Old Etonian and global head of multi-asset solutions at Santander UK, James Ind. She lives in Notting Hill in a Victorian home purchased for £3.9 million in 2021.
Kendall was sworn of the Privy Council on 6 July 2024, entitling her to be styled "The Right Honourable".
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