A pragmatic Liberal, free to speak her mind January 23, 2004

As Charles Kennedy asks Jenny Tonge to step down from his frontbench, Mat Smith of The Guardian profiles the outspoken Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park

An otherwise little-known Lib Dem MP, Jenny Tonge provoked outrage after saying she would consider becoming a suicide bomber if she was living in conditions faced by the Palestinians in the occupied territories. The Lib Dems' children spokesman later insisted that she did not condone the Palestinian bombers, but said she could "understand" their actions. After a barrage of criticism from the Conservative party, the Israeli embassy and some Labour MPs, Charles Kennedy asked her to step down from her frontbench position.

It is not the first time Dr Tonge has courted controversy over the Middle East. In June 2003 the Richmond MP, along with Bethnal Green and Bow MP Oona King compared the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza to the Nazis' segregation of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Dr Tonge said at the time: "You are almost getting a situation like the Warsaw ghetto - people can't get in or out. They can't work, they can't sell anything. There is this gradual squeeze."

The former GP and NHS manager is a relative newcomer to Westminster, having entered the Commons in 1997 when she won the previously safe Tory seat of Richmond and Barnes in south-west London. Dr Tonge was immediately appointed party spokesperson for international development, where she has attempted to "square-up" to Clare Short - of whom she was said to be "slightly frightened" - and more recently, Lady Amos. She was also a member of the international development select committee until 2003.

Although planning to stand down at the next general election, Dr Tonge sits on the Lib Dems' social democratic wing as an advocate of higher taxation and diligently pursues constituency interests such as incessant aircraft noise from the nearby Heathrow flight path and protection of the District line tube service to Richmond. A veteran local community health doctor, the 62-year-old is considered to be pragmatic, taking a GP's liberal line on issues such as teenage contraception and drugs. She is quoted as saying: "I'm not a career politician; I won't be party leader or anything like that, so I'm free to speak my mind; but I would never let the party down."

Previously she ran Women's Services for Ealing Health Authority, then became the medical officer to London Youth Advisory Service until 1992. After defeat in the 1992 general election, she returned to the NHS.