It's hard to bring up your children on benefit. It's easier if you can do part- time work, or even full-time work, and actually have a better standard of living, and that's the direction in which we are going.

In 1996 Harman sent her younger son Joseph to St Olave's Grammar School Orpington a selective grammar school after sending her elder son Harry to the selective Roman Catholic London Oratory School a grant-maintained school. Motoring convictions
In 2003 Harman was fined £400 and banned from driving for seven days after being convicted of driving at 99 mph (159 km/h) on a motorway 29 mph (47 km/h) above the speed limit. Her parents each had non-conformist backgrounds – her grandfather ophthalmic surgeon Nathaniel Bishop Harman was a prominent Unitarian and the Spicer family were well known congregationalists.

She remained in these roles until Ed Miliband was elected Leader. Miliband subsequently went on to appoint her as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development in his Shadow Cabinet and in 2011 moved her to become Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. She stands in for Miliband whenever he is absent for Prime Minister's Questions in her role as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Harriet Harman is currently the longest continuously-serving female MP in the House of Commons.