Margaret Hodge

The Rt Hon Margaret Eve Hodge (born September 8, 1944) is a British politician, and Labour Party member of Parliament for Barking. She is also Minister for Children at the Department for Education and Skills.

She has been member for Barking since a by-election in 1994 caused by the death of Jo Richardson. She became a junior minister in 1998 and was made Minister for Universities in 2001, and remained there until 2003 when she was made Children Minister.

In 2003 she was involved in a row when she described a child abuse victim ,who had been abused during her time as leader of Islington Council, as 'extremely disturbed' and was forced to apologise.