Jess Phillips has represented Birmingham Yardley for Labour since her first election on 7 May 2015. She is one of the longest-serving MPs from that election year still in the Commons.

Phillips held her seat at the July 2024 general election, returning as part of Labour's enlarged majority. Birmingham Yardley covers parts of east Birmingham. It has been her only parliamentary constituency throughout her time in the Commons.

Her unbroken service spans just over eleven years. She has sat through four Parliaments, served under three Labour leaders while the party was in opposition, and moved into government after Labour's 2024 victory. She now works as a minister in the Home Office, responsible for safeguarding. That portfolio connects directly to the domestic violence and women's rights cases that took up much of her work before becoming a minister.

Career path

Phillips followed an unusual route to ministerial office. Rather than climbing the shadow cabinet ladder — the typical route for rising politicians — she built a public profile through select committee appearances (specialized parliamentary committees that scrutinize government) and media work. That contrasts with many frontbench figures who progress through several years of shadowing opposition roles first.

Whether that background shapes how she approaches her ministerial responsibilities is something her record in the Home Office will clarify over time.