Luciana Berger

Former Labour Party MP Luciana Berger was the first Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health. She also served as Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change and Shadow Minister for Public Health, before leaving the party in a stand against their handling of both Brexit and anti-Semitism.

Before becoming an MP, Luciana worked in the Government Strategy Unit at Accenture and then as Government and Parliamentary Manager for the NHS Confederation. She was the Director of Labour Friends of Israel before standing for Parliament in the seat of Liverpool Wavertree. At 28 she was one of the youngest MPs in the House, and was soon appointed to the Shadow Cabinet. As Shadow Minister for Climate Change she introduced the national Green Deal apprenticeship scheme, as well as developing a focus on pro-environmental-business issues.

Luciana left the Labour Party in 2019 in protest over how the party dealt with the challenges of Brexit policy and anti-Semitism amongst members. Joining the Liberal Democrats she became a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and served as Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing.

Widely praised for her mental health campaigning, Luciana has sought to increase awareness and improve the services and structures available to those suffering with mental health issues. During her time in Parliament she led a campaign to expand employer responsibility to include Mental Health First Aiders and introduced a ‘breathing space’ for those in debt and struggling with their mental health. She served as mental health advisor to the Liverpool Metro Mayor, and has carried through a number of legislative changes in public health, food poverty and workplace health and safety policies.

Luciana is an advisory board member of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, a Vice President of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Vice President of the Jewish Leadership Council and an honorary fellow of the University of Liverpool’s Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place. She was also listed as one of Vogue’s 25 women shaping Britain.