Emma Lewell-Buck is a member of the Institute for Prosperity's Advisory Board.

She is the Labour Member of Parliament for South Shields, elected in 2013. 

Born in South Shields in 1978, she is also the first woman to represent the town. Emma’s career in politics began when she was 24. As a South Tyneside councillor, Emma was Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health, where she oversaw the biggest transformation of social care in the town, saving the council millions and improving services. As a ward councillor in Jarrow she played a pivotal role in the opening of a second Tyne Tunnel in 2011. Emma is a direct descendent of William Wouldhave, the inventor of the lifeboat, and she comes from a family of Tyneside shipyard workers.

Emma’s path to becoming an MP has been colourful and varied, from selling dusters in pubs across the North East to promoting bars and nightclubs on Newcastle’s Quayside. As a social worker specialising in child protection, Emma was frequently required to work in violent and dangerous environments. This experience, along with growing up on Tyneside in the 1980s, shaped Emma’s politics and she has long been committed to fighting for social justice for the most vulnerable in society.