British politician
Alistair Strathern
Official portrait, 2023
Assumed office 19 October 2023Preceded by
Nadine Dorries Majority 1,192 (3.0%) In office 26 May 2014 – 5 September 2023Succeeded by Shumon Ali-Rahman
[1]
Born Alistair Luke Strathern
(1990-03-05 ) 5 March 1990 (age 34) Political party
Labour Domestic partner Megan Corton Scott Education
St Anne's College, Oxford (
BA ) Website
alistairstrathern .com
Alistair Luke Strathern (born 5 March 1990) is a British
Labour Party politician serving as the
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Mid Bedfordshire since winning a
by-election in 2023 .
Early life and education
Alistair Luke Strathern
[2] was born on 5 March 1990,
[3] and grew up in
Bedfordshire .
[4] He was educated at
Sharnbrook Academy in
Sharnbrook ,
[5] before studying
philosophy, politics and economics at
St Anne's College, Oxford , graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts degree.
[6]
[7] While a student at Oxford, Strathern chaired the
Oxford University Labour Club .
[8]
[9] While still at university, he stood in the
2010 Oxford City Council election for the ward of Holywell, finishing fourth.
[7]
Early career
After graduating, Strathern was employed by the
Bank of England in regulating
climate risk insurance .
[4]
[6]
[10] He had previously worked as a mathematics teacher.
[11] He was a Labour councillor for the ward of Higham Hill on
Waltham Forest London Borough Council from 26 May 2014 until his resignation on 5 September 2023.
[12]
[13]
At
Waltham Forest , Strathern held the post of "Cabinet Member for 15-Minute Neighbourhoods".
[14] Between 2014 and 2015, he was a director of Ascham Homes Limited, an
arms-length management organisation that provided
council housing in Waltham Forest.
[15]
[16]
Parliamentary career
At the
2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election , Strathern was elected to Parliament as MP for Mid Bedfordshire with 34.1% of the vote and a majority of 1,192.
[17]
[18]
[19]
The Guardian described the result as "delivering a significant blow to
Rishi Sunak 's hopes of holding on to power at
the next general election ".
[17] During the campaign, the
i wrote of Strathern: "On the surface the 33-year-old seems dependable, almost old-fashioned. There's a whiff of
corduroy about him. His manner is upbeat but a tad shy; as if he's fought hard to be socially confident".
[20]
In January 2024, Strathern was appointed as
Parliamentary Private Secretary to both the
Shadow Chancellor ,
Rachel Reeves , and
Shadow Climate Secretary ,
Ed Miliband .
[21] Later that month, he announced his intention to contest
Hitchin at the
next general election , which will include parts of Mid Bedfordshire due to boundary changes.
[22]
Personal life
Strathern has taken part in protests organised by the environmental campaign group
Greenpeace , including a stunt carried out in 2022 outside the
Home Office by a group opposed to the
Public Order Act .
[6] His involvement in the protest was revealed some months later, and sparked calls by the
defence secretary
Grant Shapps for his parliamentary candidacy to be withdrawn.
[23]
[24] A photograph of Strathern at the protest dressed as a
zombie appeared on the front page of
The Sun on 8 August 2023, under the headline "Wannabe Labour MP unmasked as 'zombie' Greenpeace zealot".
[20]
[25] Strathern stated that he does not regret the protest.
[20]
Strathern's partner is Megan Corton Scott, a political campaigner for Greenpeace.
[26]
[27]
[28] Strathern has a slight
lisp , which has become less pronounced with age.
[20] He is a first cousin, once removed, of former
Prime Minister
Theresa May .
[29]
Strathern is a supporter of
Aston Villa F.C.
[30]
References
^
"Labour holds Higham Hill council seat amid poor turnout" . Waltham Forest Echo . 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023 .
^
"No. 64210" .
The London Gazette . 26 October 2023. p. 21514.
^ Bloom, Dan (20 October 2023).
"Swing when you're winning" .
Politico Europe .
Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
a
b Holmes, Amy (14 October 2023).
"Mid Beds by-election: Candidates line up to replace Nadine Dorries MP" .
BBC News . Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"Alistair Strathern: It's time for change" . action.labour.org.uk .
Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023 .
^
a
b
c Somerville, Ewan (8 August 2023).
"Labour candidate to replace Nadine Dorries is Greenpeace 'zombie' " .
The Daily Telegraph .
Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
a
b Ratcliffe, Rebecca (9 May 2010).
"Mark Mills re-elected to City Council" . Cherwell .
Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Earl, Jonathan (13 May 2010).
"How Oxford East was held" . The Oxford Student .
Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Pine, Sarah (17 February 2016).
"Race row engulfs Oxford University Labour club" . LabourList | Latest UK Labour Party news, analysis and comment .
Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"IRM Climate Group: Climate Resilience Strategies for the Financial Services Sector" .
Institute of Risk Management .
Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023 .
^
"Shadow secretary of state visits Mid Beds to talk about Labour MP candidate Alistair Strathern" . Bedford Independent . 4 August 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"Councillor details - Councillor Alistair Strathern" . democracy.walthamforest.gov.uk . Archived from
the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"Cabinet member resigns to fight for Nadine Dorries' seat" .
Waltham Forest Echo . 5 September 2023.
Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"Cllr Alistair Strathern catches up with residents at the Culture Fest in Fellowship Square" . walthamforest.gov.uk . London Borough of Waltham Forest. 16 August 2023.
Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
"Alistair Luke Strathern" ,
Companies House
^ Davis, Barnaby (7 July 2015).
"Last resident's day announced for Ascham Homes tenants" . East London and West Essex Guardian Series .
Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023 .
^
a
b Rawlinson, Kevin (20 October 2023).
"Labour takes Nadine Dorries' former seat in Mid Bedfordshire byelection" .
The Guardian .
Archived from the original on 20 October 2023.
^
"STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED, NOTICE OF POLL & SITUATION OF POLLING STATIONS" . Central Bedfordshire Council. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023 .
^ Blewett, Sam (20 October 2023).
"Labour wins Mid Bedfordshire in historic by-election result" . The Independent . Retrieved 22 October 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d Strudwick, Patrick (18 October 2023).
" 'I'd never do I'm a Celeb ' : Labour's Mid Beds by-election hope takes swipe at outgoing Nadine Dorries" .
i . Retrieved 22 October 2023 .
^
"Labour Creates Joint Shadow Treasury-Net Zero Role As Green Economics Faces Scrutiny" . Politics Home . 24 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024 .
^ Croft, Ethan (23 January 2024).
"New Labour MP denies doing 'chicken run' months after winning seat" . Evening Standard . Retrieved 25 January 2024 .
^ Hughes, Seren (8 August 2023).
"Nadine Dorries by-election: Starmer urged to drop 'eco-mob' candidate" .
The Times .
Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Stedman, Harry (27 August 2023).
"Greenpeace criticism 'desperate', Mid Bedfordshire Labour candidate says" . The Independent .
Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^
The Sun [@TheSun] (7 August 2023).
"On tomorrow's front page: A Labour by-election candidate is today unmasked as a Greenpeace zealot" .
X (formerly Twitter) . Retrieved 22 October 2023 .
^ Childs, Simon (27 September 2022).
"Protesters call out 'environmental racism' at New Statesman event at Labour conference" . Novara Media .
Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Corton Scott, Megan (20 October 2023).
"HISTORIC BY-ELECTION WINNER but more importantly the love of my life" .
X (formerly Twitter) . Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Hutchinson, Emma.
"Why the Mid Bedfordshire by-election result is a big deal - and what it means for the Tories" . ITV News . Retrieved 22 October 2023 . Labour candidate hugs his partner Megan Corton Scott
^
"Theresa May – 2023 Speech on the Loyal Address – UKPOL.CO.UK" . 8 November 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024 .
^ Strathern, Alistair (14 November 2023).
"As a fellow Aston Villa fan, though, I really hope that his time as Foreign Secretary will not deprive him of an opportunity to enjoy our beloved team…" . TheyWorkForYou . Retrieved 3 April 2024 .
External links