Kim Leadbeater

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kim Leadbeater
MBE MP
Official portrait of Kim Leadbeater MP.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Member of Parliament
for Batley and Spen
Assumed office
1 July 2021
Preceded byTracy Brabin
Majority323 (0.9%)
Personal details
Born
Kim Michele Leadbeater

(1976-05-01) 1 May 1976 (age 45)
Heckmondwike, England
Political partyLabour
Domestic partnerClaire
RelativesJo Cox (sister)
Alma mater

Kim Michele Leadbeater[1] MBE (born 1 May 1976) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen since 2021.

Early life and education[]

Leadbeater was born in 1976 in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England:[2] her parents are Jean and Gordon, and she is the younger sister of Jo Cox. She attended Heckmondwike Grammar School, and has lived in "every little bit of" the local area.[3] She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in health-related exercise and fitness from Leeds Beckett University in 2005 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Huddersfield in 2008.[4][3]

Career[]

Before moving into politics, Leadbeater was a lecturer in physical health at Bradford College, and has worked as a personal trainer.[5]

Political career[]

On 23 May 2021, Leadbeater was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election. Her older sister, Jo Cox, had served as the constituency's MP from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016.[6][7] Upon her selection, Leadbeater declared that she was "the candidate the Tories fear." Her selection proved controversial, as Leadbeater had been selected despite only joining the party in recent weeks; the rule requiring that candidates should be a member of the party for a year before being nominated was waived.[8][7] She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen on 1 July 2021, with a 323-vote majority.[9] Leadbeater made her maiden speech on 9 September 2021 during a debate on her sister's legacy.[10]

In her first six months in parliament, her two longest speeches were tributes to her sister and to David Amess, another MP who had been murdered. She argued that MPs safety was not being taken seriously enough, and she called for anonymity on social media to become an exception to combat a culture of abuse.[11]

Political views[]

During her campaign she visited a mosque and spoke in favour of a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[12]

Personal life[]

Leadbeater lives in Gomersal, Kirklees, with her partner Claire.[5]

Awards[]

In 2018, Leadbeater was awarded the UK's one thousandth Points of Light award by Prime Minister Theresa May for having "rejected the hate that marked [her] sister's murder to continue Jo's work and ensure that Jo's determination to change the world has lived on."[13]

In the 2021 New Year Honours, Leadbeater was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "[f]or services to Social Cohesion, to the community in Batley, West Yorkshire and to Combatting Loneliness during Covid-19", when she was described in The London Gazette as "Ambassador, Jo Cox Foundation and Chair, More in Common Batley and Spen".[14][15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Election results for Batley and Spen". Kirklees Council. July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Kim Leadbeater: Sister of Jo Cox is new Batley and Spen MP". BBC News. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hyde, Nathan (17 June 2021). "All you need to know about Batley and Spen by election candidate Kim Leadbeater". The Yorkshire Post. ISSN 0963-1496. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  4. ^ "New Year Honours for Leeds Beckett Graduates". www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk. Leeds Beckett University. 31 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b Adams, Tim (17 June 2018). "Kim Leadbeater on her sister, Jo Cox: 'You can't give in to hatred'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ Pidd, Helen (23 May 2021). "Jo Cox's sister selected as Labour candidate for Batley and Spen byelection". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b Rodgers, Sienna. "Jo Cox's sister Kim Leadbeater selected by Labour to contest Batley and Spen". LabourList. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (6 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: are Muslim voters the next brick to crumble in Labour's red wall?". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021. The party waived its membership rules to allow Leadbeater to stand and two local councillors who applied, both from the south Asian community, did not make the shortlist.
  9. ^ Wolfe-Robinson, Maya; Stewart, Heather (2 July 2021). "Labour's Kim Leadbeater wins narrow victory in Batley and Spen byelection". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Legacy of Jo Cox (2:02)". Hansard. 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. ^ Wolfe-Robinson, Maya (9 January 2022). "MPs' safety not being taken seriously enough, says Kim Leadbeater". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  12. ^ Brooke, Sam (28 May 2021). "Batley and Spen candidate Kim Leadbeater speaks out on Palestine". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  13. ^ "UK's 1000th Point of Light – 1000. Kim Leadbeater". Prime Minister's Office. 2018. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  14. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N20.
  15. ^ de la Mare, Tess; Teale, Connor (31 December 2020). "Sister of murdered Batley & Spen MP Jo Cox appointed MBE". YorkshireLive. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Batley and Spen
2021–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""