Catherine West
Catherine West | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific | |
| Assumed office 4 December 2021 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Stephen Kinnock |
| Shadow Minister for Europe and Americas | |
| In office 9 April 2020 – 4 December 2021 | |
| Leader | Sir Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Khalid Mahmood |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Doughty |
| Shadow Minister for Sport | |
| In office 14 January 2020 – 9 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Rosena Allin-Khan |
| Succeeded by | Alison McGovern |
| Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| In office 18 September 2015 – 30 June 2017 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | John Spellar |
| Succeeded by | Fabian Hamilton |
| Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Lynne Featherstone |
| Majority | 19,242 (31.5%) |
| Leader of Islington London Borough Council | |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 10 October 2013 | |
| Deputy | Paul Smith Janet Burgess |
| Preceded by | Terry Stacy |
| Succeeded by | Richard Watts |
| Labour Party Group Leader on Islington London Borough Council | |
| In office 11 May 2004 – 10 October 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Creagh |
| Succeeded by | Richard Watts |
| Councillor for Islington London Borough Council | |
| In office 2 May 2002 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Ward | Tollington |
| Preceded by | Barbara Sidnell |
| Succeeded by | Flora Williamson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Catherine Elizabeth West 14 September 1966 Mansfield, Australia |
| Citizenship | British Australian |
| Political party | Labour (1998–present) |
| Spouse | Colin Sutherland |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | London |
| Education | Meriden School Ravenswood School for Girls University of Sydney SOAS, University of London |
| Website | Official website |
Catherine Elizabeth West[1] (born 14 September 1966) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornsey and Wood Green in May 2015.
Early life and education
West was born on 14 September 1966 in Mansfield, Australia, one of four children to Janet (née Conti) and Roderick West AM.[2] Her parents were both teachers and her father was Headmaster of Trinity Grammar School in Sydney for 21 years. She is the great-great niece of Italian actress Italia Conti. She grew up in Sydney and was privately educated at Meriden and Ravenswood.[3] West studied modern languages and social work at the University of Sydney.[4] While studying there, she met her future husband Colin Sutherland who was the nephew of opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland. They lived together in Darwin, Northern Territory where she worked as a social worker in a refuge for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. West and Sutherland moved to the United Kingdom (UK) in 1998 when he gained a job at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.[4] She then gained a master's degree in Chinese Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.[5]
Political career
West joined the Labour Party in 1998 and became a caseworker for MP David Lammy two years later.[4] From 2 May 2002 to 22 May 2014, West was a member of the Islington London Borough Council representing the Tollington Ward. She was the leader of the council's Labour Party group from 2004 to 10 October 2013 and Council Leader from 6 May 2010 to 10 October 2013. She resigned as councillor in order to contest the 2015 general election.
She was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornsey and Wood Green in the 2015 general election.[6]
Following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party, whose campaign she supported, West was promoted to the Official Opposition Frontbench as a Shadow Foreign Office Minister.[7]
During the 2016 EU membership referendum Campaign, West was involved with Britain Stronger In Europe, campaigning for the UK to remain within the European Union, arguing that "Britain would be stronger, more prosperous, more secure and more peaceful" if they were to remain within the EU. West's constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green secured the highest remain vote in the UK with 81.5% voting to remain.[8] Following the EU referendum, West confirmed she would vote against invoking Article 50 should a vote come before parliament.[9] Between September 2016 and June 2017, she was an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on UK-EU Relations.[10]
In January 2017, West voted against triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the process by which EU Member States may use to withdraw from the European Union, along with 46 other Labour Party Members of parliament.[11]
West was sacked from the Labour frontbench in June 2017 after she voted in favour of an amendment to the Queen's Speech which called on the UK to remain in the European Single Market, in defiance of the Labour whip.[12]
West returned to the Labour frontbench in 2020 as shadow Sport Minister,[13] prior to her promotion to the shadow Foreign Office team under new Labour Leader Sir Keir Stamer.[14] West is currently Labour's shadow Minister for Asia & the Pacific.[15]
Personal life
West is a Quaker. She is one of three Quakers elected during the 2015 general election, the others being Ruth Cadbury in the Labour Party and Tania Mathias in the Conservative Party.[16] She is married to Colin Sutherland, co-director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Malaria Centre.[4][17] They met while studying at the University of Sydney. They have a daughter and a son.[18]
She is a dual British and Australian national.[19]
References
- ^ "Election results". camdennewjournal.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Headmaster who inspired thousands of pupils and teachers". Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "How an Australian expat may help topple a British Prime Minister". Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lamden, Tim (13 March 2015). "Labour's Catherine West: 'I know how to beat Liberal Democrats'". Ham & High.
- ^ 19 May 2017 (19 May 2017). "Can you guess which single party four SOAS grads are representing in the election?". SOAS. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Hornsey & Wood Green Parliamentary constituency". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Catherine West MP". parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Hanretty, Chris (29 June 2016). "The EU referendum: how did Westminster constituencies vote?". Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ West, Catherine (27 June 2016). "75% of my constituents voted to remain in the EU. I stand w/ them on this issue & I will vote against Brexit #EUrefpic.twitter.com/TX0lUC5Csb". Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 12 October 2016: UK-EU Relations". www.publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sparrow, Andrew (1 February 2017). "MPs vote to give May power to trigger article 50 – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ Asthana, Anushka (29 June 2017). "Jeremy Corbyn sacks three frontbenchers after single market vote". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ "I am delighted to be appointed as shadow Sports Minister, following in the footsteps of the excellent @DrRosena. I am determined to use my time taking on some of the big issues in sport, particularly following the racist abuse Haringey Borough FC experienced last year". Twitter.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "So pleased that @CatherineWest1 @FabianLeedsNE @SKinnock @SDoughtyMP @WayneDavid_MP have joined the @UKLabour FCO team. Every single one brings huge expertise and passion. Proud to be working with them all". Twitter.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Delighted to be asked to stay in the shadow FCO team under @DavidLammy. @SKinnock will be a tough act to follow in shadowing Asia & the Pacific, and @lisanandy will be missed as shadow FS, but I'm looking forward to the new challenge and setting Labour up for Government". Twitter.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "First Quaker MPs elected in a decade". Quakers in Britain. Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Colin Sutherland". London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Special Report: Catherine West MP reflects on her first six months in Parliament". Ham & High. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ Bourke, Latika (13 May 2018). "'Utterly absurd': British MPs question Australia's ban on dual citizens". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
External links
- 1966 births
- Living people
- Australian expatriates in England
- Alumni of SOAS University of London
- British people of Australian descent
- Councillors in the London Borough of Islington
- English Quakers
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- Labour Party (UK) councillors
- Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- University of Sydney alumni
- Wood Green
- 21st-century British women politicians
- UK MPs 2015–2017
- UK MPs 2017–2019
- UK MPs 2019–present
- Leaders of local authorities of England
- Politicians from Sydney
- 21st-century English women
- 21st-century English people
- Women councillors in England