Kammala wannan jumla: An haifi Wilkinson ne a cikin iyalin Manchester mai talauci duk da cewa tana da buri kuma ta rungumi gurguzu tun tana ƙarama. Bayan kammala karatunta daga Jami'ar Manchester, ta yi aiki ga kungiyar mata masu jefa kuri'a kuma daga baya a matsayin jami'in kungiyar kwadago. An yi wahayi zuwa gare shi ta Juyin Juya Halin Rasha na 1917, Wilkinson ya shiga Jam'iyyar Kwaminis ta Burtaniya, kuma ya yi wa'azin gurguzu na juyin juya hali yayin da yake neman hanyoyin tsarin mulki zuwa ikon siyasa ta hanyar Jam'iyyar Labour. An zabe ta a matsayin 'yar majalisa ta Labour a Middlesbrough East a 1924, kuma ta goyi bayan
Babban yajin aiki na 1926. A cikin gwamnatin Kwadago na 1929-1931, ta yi aiki a matsayin Sakatariyar Majalisar Dokoki ga ƙaramin Ministan Lafiya. Ta kulla dangantaka da wata matashiya 'yar kungiya kuma mai fafutuka Jennie Lee. Bayan shan kaye a Middlesbrough a 1931, Wilkinson ya zama dan jarida da marubuci, kafin ya koma majalisa a matsayin dan majalisar Jarrow a 1935. Ta kasance mai ba da shawara sosai ga gwamnatin Jamhuriyar Republican a yakin basasar Spain, kuma ta ziyarci yankunan yaƙi da yawa.