Keir Mather became the United Kingdom’s youngest MP this week after the 25-year-old was elected to parliament at the Selby and Ainsty by-election.
Mather shares a first name with Labour leader Keir Starmer, both are named after Keir Hardie, the man who founded the party and served as its first leader back in 1906.
Prior to entering the parliament, he studied history and politics and Oxford University and completed a Master of Public Policy.
He has also worked as a researcher for former Conservative politician turned journalist Matthew Parris and had been a public affairs advisor to the Confederation of British Industry.
The by-election for the North Yorkshire seat was triggered by the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams. While the oldest member of the house is given the title of ‘Father of the House’, Mather has quickly been nicknamed ‘Baby of the House’.
Mather is gay and lists supporting local rugby team the Hull Kingston Rovers amongst his interests.
The Labour party’s deputy leader Angela Raynor said Mather would bearing an important voice to the parliament.
“Being 25, he’s of that generation that is looking at insecure work, looking at not being able to ever own their own home – and looking at the challenges that they face with cost of living now, that leaves them in this spiral of not being able to get on in life.” Raynor told BBC Breakfast.
While Mather will be the youngest person in the British parliament, some of his colleagues were elected at even younger ages. Labour’s Nadia Whittome was 23 when she was elected in 2019. Scottish National Party member Mhairi Black was just 20 when she took her seat in 2015. Black has recently announced she will be stepping down at the next general election.
OIP Staff
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