SAEDNEWS: Just a few days before Cooper’s appointment, the UK government claimed in a political statement: “Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons; Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine must end; and Iran’s influence across the region will be challenged.”
According to the Political Service of Saed News, Al Jazeera Qatar has reported on the life and political stances of Yvette Cooper, the new British Foreign Secretary. Below is a translated summary of Al Jazeera’s report.
Yvette Cooper, a prominent British politician, was born in 1969 in Scotland. She studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford University and Harvard University. After returning to the UK, she worked for The Independent before entering politics and joining the Labour Party.
In 1997, Cooper was elected to Parliament as a Labour representative and has since held several key ministerial positions. One of her most notable roles was as Chancellor of the Exchequer, making her the first woman in British history to hold that office.
With Labour’s return to power under Keir Starmer, Cooper became Home Secretary, focusing on security and immigration. In September 2025, she was appointed Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.
Yvette Cooper was born on March 20, 1969, in Inverness, northern Scotland, and grew up in Hampshire in southeastern England after her family relocated. Her father served as General Secretary of a UK labor union, while her mother was a mathematics teacher.
In 1998, Cooper married British politician Ed Balls, and they have three children. They were the first married couple to serve together in a UK Cabinet.
Cooper attended state schools in the UK for her primary and secondary education and graduated with first-class honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University.
In 1991, she earned a Kennedy Scholarship to study at Harvard University in the United States. She later returned to the UK to complete her postgraduate studies, receiving a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Cooper’s first job was far removed from journalism—she initially worked on a farm, an experience she has described as valuable for building confidence.
She later entered journalism as the economics editor for The Independent, where she authored numerous analytical articles on economic issues.
Cooper began her political career in 1992 by participating in Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in Arkansas, which gave her practical insight into political strategy and electoral campaigns.
Returning to the UK, she joined the Labour Party, working in the office of party leader John Smith, and later became an advisor to Harriet Harman, one of the party’s most influential women.
In April 1997, amid Labour’s political resurgence under Tony Blair, Cooper was elected to the UK Parliament. She gradually took on executive roles, beginning as Deputy Minister of Health on October 11, 1999, at age 30, becoming the youngest person in British history to hold the post, serving until May 28, 2002.
From May 10, 2005, to May 6, 2006, she served as Housing and Planning Minister, initiating the controversial Home Information Pack project to simplify property transactions, which was later canceled by the subsequent coalition government.
In January 2008, Cooper was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, overseeing government spending across all sectors. She also served as Minister for Work and Pensions from June 6, 2009, to May 6, 2010, under Gordon Brown.
After Labour became the opposition following the May 2010 general election, Cooper continued her political work in the Shadow Cabinet. She held positions including Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, Shadow Foreign Secretary, and Shadow Minister for Women and Social Equality.
From 2011 to 2015, she served as Shadow Home Secretary, opposing Conservative government policies, particularly on security, immigration, and asylum. Reappointed as Home Secretary from 2021 to 2024, she returned to the frontlines of the party and joined the main government after Keir Starmer became Prime Minister in July 2024.
During this period, Cooper focused on internal security and irregular migration, establishing cooperation agreements with France and Germany on border management and migration control.
On September 5, 2025, Prime Minister Starmer reshuffled the Cabinet, appointing Yvette Cooper as Foreign Secretary, Commonwealth, and Development, replacing David Lammy.
Cooper emphasized that the new UK government, after 14 years of Conservative rule, would restore credibility to British foreign policy. She advocates taking firm positions on international crises, including support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
On irregular migration, she stressed the importance of international cooperation to combat trafficking networks, address the root causes of displacement, and reform the global asylum system, with special attention to protecting women in regions like Sudan and Myanmar.
Regarding Palestine, Cooper supports a two-state solution, considering the Gaza Strip an integral part of it, and calls for transforming ceasefire agreements into “lasting and sustainable peace.” She stated the UK’s readiness to coordinate with the United States to implement agreements and provide aid to Palestinians.
Days before Cooper’s appointment, the UK government issued a statement asserting that “Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons; Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine must end, and Iran’s regional influence will be challenged.” Cooper has repeatedly framed Iran as a “security threat,” a stance the Iranian Embassy in London has dismissed as “baseless and political,” warning that such claims harm bilateral relations.
