What can we expect from controversial Kelly?

MP for Bolton West Ruth Kelly, the former Education Secretary, pulled her son out of state school and sent him to a private institution, while as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government she got into a major wrangle with equal opportunities groups about gay couples adopting.

Just turned 39, Kelly, born in Northern Ireland, is also a devout Catholic closely associated with the ultra-conservative Catholic Opus Dei movement – made infamous by Dan Brown’s best-selling book The Da Vinci Code- and counts a grandfather who was a member of the IRA. She’s already taken a well-aimed egg to the head from some very disgruntled Fathers for Justice associates for testifying against them in a court case.

It would seem, then, that Ruth Kelly has plenty of radical ‘don’t mess with me’ genes and doesn’t mind a fight.

Ruth and roads?

But what do we know about Ruth and transport? Not a lot just yet is the short answer. What does she think about road building and pricing, fuel tax, speed cameras or CO2-based parking? She was reported to have said that the 1.8 million anti-road pricing online petition was “a good test of public opinion on a particular issue”, but up until now the views (or marked silence) that have made the most headlines have been on issues such as sex offenders, contraception, and gay rights.

One policy she could well be in favour of promoting is more flexible working hours to reduce congestion/emissions and improve the work/life balance. Giving birth to her first child just 11 days after becoming one of the youngest new MPs in Blair’s 1997 landslide victory at just 28 – and managing another three since – she has always been a strong advocate of more child-friendly working patterns. Indeed, as The Times put it: “Like many of the new female MPs, she refuses to let politics rob her of a family life.”

Future PM?

Some commentators have suggested that despite the controversy she faced at her previous role in Education, the combination of a strong intellect, determination and deep voice – apparently a useful tool to gain acceptance in a male-dominated society – could even see her as a future candidate for Prime Minister.

Some of her local constituents are less impressed, though.

An issue she’ll have to face up to pretty quickly will the proposed Manchester congestion scheme due to affect many of her commuting constituents in Bolton. The final details of how the scheme might work are yet to be ironed out, but a few wags from the online chat room of the local Prestwich and Whitefield Guide have already voiced their cynicism about her ability, inclinations and previous perceived personal versus private conflict of interests. Comments suggest variously that “she couldn’t run a bath” and “Opus Dei members might be exempt from congestion charges”, while a third quipped he had heard a rumour that Kelly was investigating “sending her car to a private road”.

However it pans out it would seem she has some convincing to do. We await her first Transport speeches with interest.