Keir Mather
MP
Official portrait, 2023
Member of Parliament
for Selby and Ainsty
Assumed office
20 July 2023
Preceded byNigel Adams
Majority4,161 (11.6%)
Personal details
Born
Keir Alexander Mather

1998 (1998) (age 25)
Kingston upon Hull, England
Political partyLabour
Education
Signature

Keir Alexander Mather (/kɪər ˈmeɪðər/; born 1998) is a British Labour politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Selby and Ainsty since the 2023 by-election. At the time of his election, aged 25, Mather became the youngest serving MP.

Early life and education

Keir Alexander Mather[1] was born in 1998 in Kingston upon Hull.[2] He was named after Keir Hardie, the founder of the Labour Party.[3][4] Mather spent his childhood in Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire.[3] His mother, Jill Tambaros (née Golding),[5] is as of September 2023 a supply teacher, and his father, Mick Mather, is as of September 2023 a support worker.[6] His father is also a Labour Party activist.[7] Mather had once joined the Youth Parliament, and set up a Labour group for young people in Hull.[3][8] He was educated "for a short time" at a private prep school,[9] and then at state schools including South Hunsley School in Melton.[10][7] His mother recalled, in 2023, that Mather was interested in politics as a schoolboy: "When he was 16, I was dropping him off at the office of every MP in Hull, ... He said 'I'm going to introduce myself to them'. I thought it was funny he was so determined to go and see all those MPs."[11]

He received undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Oxford, graduating with a first in history and politics at Wadham College[12] before receiving a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree at University College.[13] According to Paul Martin, Mather's politics tutor at Oxford, Mather was specifically interested in New Labour and "had a lifelong interest" in its major figures.[14] Intent on becoming an MP,[6] Mather studied for the MPP at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government as a Political Leadership Scholar, in a scheme that was "open to applicants from the UK and Republic of Ireland who intend to run for public office".[15] While a student at Oxford, he was an appointed official of the Oxford Union debating society as head of research,[16] and was also a co-chair of the Oxford University Labour Club.[17] While studying at Oxford, Mather worked as a researcher for The Times journalist and former Conservative MP Matthew Parris.[18]

Career before Parliament

Mather worked as a public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry for 18 months before entering Parliament and was a parliamentary researcher for Labour MP Wes Streeting from 2019 to 2020.[19]

Parliamentary career

Mather at the 2023 Labour Party Conference

Mather won the seat of Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire in a by-election held on 20 July 2023, caused by the resignation of the Conservative MP Nigel Adams. Adams's previous majority of 20,137 votes at the 2019 general election was the largest ever overturned by Labour in a by-election, as well as the largest swing for a Labour by-election candidate since the 1994 Dudley West by-election.[20][21]

Aged 25 at his election, Mather became the youngest serving MP, known as the Baby of the House, succeeding Nadia Whittome (born 1996).[22] Upon his election, the Veterans' Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer said that parliament "mustn't become a repeat of The Inbetweeners", a television show which featured adolescent schoolchildren. This was considered to be a derogatory reference towards Mather's age, which Mercer denied.[14][23] Mercer's comment was criticised by Labour politicians, including the Labour leader Keir Starmer.[24] The Guardian noted that former prime ministers William Ewart Gladstone and Winston Churchill became MPs at the ages of 22 and 25 respectively.[24]

Mather was sworn in as an MP on 5 September 2023, following the summer break.[25] In interviews with BBC News and The Press from the same month, Mather said his main priority as an MP was to support people affected by the cost of living crisis. Other priorities included addressing insufficient SEND provision, rural crime, anti-social behaviour, underpeforming NHS services, little public transport provision and supporting small businesses.[26][6] Mather made his maiden speech on 16 October 2023, during a debate on Early Years Childcare.[27][28]

Political views

Mather voted for Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He does not support rejoining the European Union or holding a second referendum on the issue.[26]

In 2023, Mather said he supported Labour leader Keir Starmer's policy of maintaining the two-child benefit cap, adding: "I think we're going to inherit an absolute economic mess from the Conservatives when we take power and we're going to have to make extremely difficult decisions once we do, and I support the Labour government in doing so."[29][22]

On gender identity, Mather has said "a woman is like my mum or my stepsister, somebody who is born biologically a woman. But there is a very small minority of people who feel like they’ve been born into the wrong gender and they deserve respect and care."[7] In 2018, during a debate at the Oxford Union, Mather alledgedly called Germaine Greer "an abhorrent transphobe" for stating that transgender women were not women. He also said Greer had made "dehumanising and downright dangerous comments about transgender women". When asked if he wanted to renounce his statements about Greer as an MP in 2023, Mather said: "What I said is on the record. I really strongly disagree with her outlook and approach to the issue."[30][7]

Personal life

Mather is gay.[31] He supports the rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated ...for election as a Member of Parliament for Selby and Ainsty" (PDF). North Yorkshire Council. 23 June 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "Mum of young Selby by-election winner says he could be PM". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Keir Mather: Who is the winning candidate for Selby and Ainsty?". BBC News. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Who is Keir Mather? Selby and Ainsty's new MP and 'baby of the House'". ITV News. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Marriages and engagements: 'Goodbye and good riddance'". The Times. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Shoesmith, Kevin (30 September 2023). "Keir Mather MP: Out and about with the 'Baby of the House'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Crampton, Robert (4 August 2023). "Labour's Keir Mather: I often get, 'Bloody hell, you're young'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Sam (21 July 2023). "Who is Keir Mather". The National. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Croft, Ethan (24 July 2023). "Keir Mather, parliament's youngest MP, arrived at Oxford fully formed". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "New Undergraduates 2016" (PDF). Wadham College Gazette: 60. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Robson, Steve (21 July 2023). "How politics nerd who door-knocked MPs at 16 became new 'Baby of the House'". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "Final Honour School Results 2018–19" (PDF). Wadham College Gazette: 141. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Postgraduate degrees" (PDF). University College Record: 34. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  14. 1 2 Ball, Tom (22 July 2023). "Inbetweener jibes at Keir Mather are ageist, says new MP's mother". The Times. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Keir Mather: Breaking down barriers with the Political Leadership Scholarship". Blavatnik School of Government. November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Appointed officials & staff". Oxford Union Michaelmas Term 2017 Termcard. 25 September 2017. p. 79. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via issuu.com.
  17. ↑ Davies, Jake (23 May 2018). "The struggle for gender equality in Oxford's political societies". The Oxford Student. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  18. ↑ Parris, Matthew (21 July 2023). "Labour will need more Keirs like this new one". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  19. ↑ Neame, Katie (16 June 2023). "Labour candidate in Selby and Ainsty: Keir Mather wins selection contest". LabourList. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Bunting, Hannah; Thrasher, Michael (21 July 2023). "Rishi Sunak avoids 3–0 defeat with ironic win in Uxbridge – but one result is deeply concerning for the Tories". Sky News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  21. ↑ Dunning, David (20 July 2023). "Labour makes history winning the Selby and Ainsty seat". YorkMix. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  22. 1 2 Forrest, Adam (21 July 2023). "'Baby of the House': What we know about Keir Mather, the youngest MP in the Commons". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  23. ↑ Murphy, Michael (21 July 2023). "'Inbetweener' Keir Mather elected as Tories face biggest swing to Labour since 1994". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  24. 1 2 Badshah, Nadeem (21 July 2023). "'Silly sod': Starmer laughs off minister's Inbetweeners jibe at new MP". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather sworn in to House of Commons". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  26. 1 2 Greenwood, Darren (23 September 2023). "Selby and Ainsty's new MP Keir Mather sets out his priorities". The Press. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  27. ↑ "Youngest MP Keir Mather hits out at 'divisive politics' in maiden speech". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Keir Mather (16 October 2023). "Early Years Childcare". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 738. United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 191–122. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Kelleher, Patrick (21 July 2023). "Keir Mather: Labour's out gay winner of Selby and Ainsty by-election is youngest MP in parliament". Pink News. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  30. ↑ O'Neill, Brendan (21 July 2023). "The trouble with Keir Mather". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Union under fire for hosting anti-LGBTQ+ speakers either side of Oxford Pride". Cherwell. 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
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