Miatta Fahnbulleh’s story begins in Monrovia, Liberia, where she was born; and where, as a child, she was forced to flee her home country’s civil war as a refugee. That single fact shapes everything that follows: a woman who arrived in the UK with nothing, and went on to help shape the nation’s future.
She built her foundation through education, earning a BA in PPE from Oxford, followed by a Masters and PhD in economic development from LSE. From there, she rose through some of Britain’s most influential policy institutions; serving as Director of Policy & Research at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and holding senior roles under the Leader of the Opposition, the Cabinet Office, and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.
As CEO of the New Economics Foundation, Miatta became one of the UK’s most trusted voices on the economy and climate action, a regular presence on BBC Question Time, Politics Live, and Channel 4 News.
In July 2024, she was elected Labour (Co-op) MP for Peckham. Today, she serves as UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero; the woman once displaced by war now entrusted with powering an entire nation’s future.
From refugee to the heart of government. Miatta’s story is proof that where you start is never where you have to stay.
