Diana has been the Labour MP for Hull North since 2005 - the first woman elected to Westminster representing a Hull seat.

Full statement

Diana was named Backbencher of the Year in 2018 for her work to secure a Public Inquiry into the NHS contaminated blood scandal. In the 2020 New Year's Honours, Diana was appointed as a Dame Commander for her charitable and political work and in 2021 joined The Privy Council.

Diana was born in the North West of England and read Law at Queen Mary College, London University. She qualified as a Barrister and worked for many years in Community Law Centres. Before entering Parliament, Diana had served as a local councillor and as a Non-Executive Director in the NHS.

Under the Labour Government between 2005 and 2010 Diana was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Children, Schools and Families and a Government Whip. Since 2010, Diana has held a variety of Labour Opposition Front Bench posts, including in Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Health.

Diana was elected by all members of the House of Commons as Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee in December 2021. Alongside this she serves on the Liaison Committee and the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy. Previously Diana was a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

In addition, Diana is one of the Parliamentary representatives on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; and serves as a member of the Independent Commission for the Integration of Refugees.

Diana plays an active role on the British American Parliamentary Group and Chairs several cross-party parliamentary groups, including: Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood, Friends of the University of Hull, Human Rights, Left Behind Neighbourhoods, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Diana has a reputation of standing up for her Hull constituents at Westminster, a strong record as a campaigning MP and is consistently one of the most frequent speakers in the Commons.

Notable local successes include campaigning for Siemens to locate to Hull, supporting the expansion of the Hull-York Medical school, working cross-party on reducing Humber Bridge tolls, supporting Hull's bid to be UK City of Culture 2017, and the building of a new pumping station at Bransholme after the 2007 floods.

Diana is patron of the Hull and East Riding RSPCA and supports Hull and East Riding Breast Friends, a local breast cancer charity.

When not out and about in Hull North or Westminster, Diana is a fan of crime novels, cinema, chocolate cake, strong tea and black Labradors.