Dr Blackman-Woods is MP for City of Durham. She was born and brought up in Belfast and studied at the University of Ulster, gaining a BSc and a PhD in Social Science.

Dr Blackman-Woods started her working life as a Welfare Rights officer for Newcastle City Council. She later became a Lecturer at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Councillor for the Sandyford ward in Newcastle. She also spent a period of time as Dean of Social and Labour studies at Ruskin College, Oxford before moving on to be head of policy at the Local Government Information Unit.

She also has extensive voluntary sector experience, including helping to set up Women’s Aid (NI) and working in a consultancy capacity for Save the Children, the Child Poverty Action Group and the Housing Association movement.