So who exactly are the Labour Party’s two newest MPs?
The Labour Party has won both the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections overnight, in what amounts to yet more humiliation for Rishi Sunak and the Tories in seats that were once considered Tory strongholds.
The latest losses for the Tories mean that they have now suffered the highest number of by-election losses in a single Parliament since 1960.
So who exactly are the Labour Party’s two newest MPs?
Gen Kitchen has just become the first Labour MP for Wellingborough since Peter Bone turned the seat blue in 2005, overturning a majority of 18,500 to take the seat.
Born in Northamptonshire to navy parents, Kitchen has worked in the charity sector, with her most recent role running philanthropy for a children’s health charity.
Kitchen was also a Labour Party councillor in Newham where she represented the Boleyn ward. She also stood as a Labour candidate in the 2019 General Election in South Northamptonshire against Andrea Leadsom.
She will also join the House of Commons in the coming days as one of its youngest MPs. Speaking after her win, Kitchen said: “The people of Wellingborough have spoken for Britain. This is a stunning victory for the Labour party and must send a message from Northamptonshire to Downing Street.”
In Kingswood, Damien Egan was the winning Labour candidate, beating Tory candidate Sam Bromiley by 2,501 votes.
The Cork-born MP, grew up in north-east Bristol, and his first job was working in the Co-op supermarket in Downend. During his childhood, his family became homeless and lived in temporary accommodation.
Egan became a parish councillor in Downend and Staple Hill, both suburbs of Bristol, when he was 21, before he moved to London and became a councillor in Lewisham, where he become mayor in 2018.
His website also said how in Lewisham he has “turned our schools around, built council homes, created award winning parks and led on climate action, becoming the first sanctuary borough for refugees”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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