Taiwo Owatemi, a cancer pharmacist, transitioned into a Member of Parliament just before the global pandemic struck. Despite her new role, she continues to volunteer at her local hospital twice a week. In Parliament, she advocates for health equality and women’s reproductive health in the U.K. She recently initiated a debate on funding research for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, which led to the government’s Women In Health study. She also supported a campaign to encourage more women to undergo cervical cancer screenings. Owatemi also spearheaded a campaign in Parliament to remove questions about ethnicity and race from the donation questionnaire, which were hindering donations. She draws inspiration from Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the director-general of the WTO.
Taiwo Owatemi was born on July 22, 1992, and grew up in Plumstead. She has strong ties to her extended family in Coventry through her aunt and cousins. Sadly, her father passed away when she was just six years old. Raised by her mother, who is a nurse, along with her twin and elder brother, Owatemi pursued a Master’s degree at the University of Kent and became a qualified pharmacist. Before entering Parliament, she worked at a cancer unit in Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
Owatemi’s political journey began with a parliamentary internship through the Social Mobility Foundation, where she gained experience working in the office of Conservative MP Oliver Letwin. She held various roles in the Young Fabians and contributed to health policy discussions. Additionally, she served as a governor at a local primary school starting in 2016.
In 2019, Owatemi was selected as the Labour candidate for Coventry North West after the incumbent MP, Geoffrey Robinson, decided to step down. She narrowly won the seat with a majority of 208 votes. She is one of three female MPs elected from Coventry in 2019, alongside Zarah Sultana and Colleen Fletcher.
Owatemi supported Lisa Nandy in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election. She later served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, before being appointed as the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities in September 2021. However, she resigned from this position on September 7, 2022.
Despite her busy schedule as an MP, Owatemi remains committed to her work. She is a member of Labour Friends of Israel and participated in a delegation to the country in February 2023.
