Catherine West
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.
Catherine West | |
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![]() West in 2017 | |
Shadow Minister for Europe | |
Assumed office 9 April 2020 | |
Leader | Sir Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Khalid Mahmood |
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(s) | Colin Sutherland |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Archway, London |
Alma mater | University of Sydney SOAS, University of London |
Website | Official website |
Early life and education
West was born on 14 September 1966 in Sydney, Australia. Her parents were both teachers. She is the great-great niece of Italian actress Italia Conti. She grew up in Sydney and was privately educated at the Ravenswood School for Girls. West studied modern languages and social work at the University of Sydney.[2] While studying there, she met her future husband Colin Sutherland and they lived together in Darwin, Northern Territory where she worked as a social worker in a refuge for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. They moved to the United Kingdom (UK) in 1998 when her husband gained a job at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.[2] She then gained a master's degree in Chinese Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.[3]
Political career
West joined the Labour Party in 1998 and became a caseworker for MP David Lammy two years later.[2] From 2 May 2002 to 22 May 2014, West was a member of the Islington London Borough Council representing the Tollington Ward. She was 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.[4]
West opposes the renewal of Trident nuclear weapon system.[5] In September 2015, West along with Tulip Siddiq and Keir Starmer wrote a letter to British prime minister David Cameron seeking urgent action to address the refugee crisis due to the Syrian Civil War.[6][7][8]
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.[9]
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.[10] Following the EU referendum, West confirmed she would vote against invoking Article 50 should a vote come before parliament.[11]
In September 2016, she founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on UK-EU Relations, that seeks to secure a positive and progressive relationship between Britain and the EU.[12] This group has cross-party support with Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas, former Conservative Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan and former Labour Higher Education Minister David Lammy among its elected officers.
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.[13]
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.[14]
Personal life
West is a Quaker. She is one of three Quakers elected during the 2015 general election, the others being Ruth Cadbury and Tania Mathias.[15] She is married to Colin Sutherland, co-director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Malaria Centre.[2][16] They met while studying at the University of Sydney. They have a daughter and a son.[17]
She is a dual British and Australian national.[18]
References
- http://camdennewjournal.com/article/council-elections-islington-ward-ward-results?sp=1&sq=Jessi%2520set%2520to%2520step%2520up
- 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.
- "Hornsey & Wood Green Parliamentary constituency". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- "Labour CND conference – 'Labour and Trident Replacement'". catherinewest.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- Cadwalladr, Carole (28 December 2014). "Rising stars of 2015: politician Dan Jarvis". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- Pasha, Syed Nahas (5 September 2015). "Tulip Siddiq urges PM Cameron to take urgent action to address refugee crisis in Europe". London: Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- "Tulip seeks action to end refugee crisis". Dhaka: Prothom Alo. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 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.
- 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. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- "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
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catherine West. |
- Official website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Lynne Featherstone |
Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green 2015–present |
Incumbent |