Gen Kitchen
MP
Member of Parliament
for Wellingborough
Assumed office
15 February 2024
Preceded byPeter Bone
Majority6,436 (21.3%)
Member of Newham Council
for Boleyn
In office
3 May 2018 – 5 May 2022
Personal details
Born (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 (age 28)
Political partyLabour
Alma materQueen Mary University of London (BA)

Genevieve Victoria Kitchen[1] (born 5 May 1995)[2][3] is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wellingborough in Northamptonshire since she won the 2024 Wellingborough by-election on 15 February 2024. A member of the Labour Party,[4] she was a member of Newham Council in Greater London from 2018 to 2022.

Early life

Kitchen was born in 1995,[3] the daughter of two Royal Navy veterans.[5] She grew up in Northamptonshire, and attended Caroline Chisholm School in Northampton,[6] John Hellins Primary School in Towcester, and Kingsbrook Secondary School (now Elizabeth Woodville School) in Deanshanger.[7] She studied history and politics at Queen Mary University of London,[8] and graduated in 2016.[9]

Career

Kitchen has been a fundraiser in the charity sector,[10][11] working with organisations including The Salvation Army, Sarcoma UK, a children's hospice and a children's health charity.[12] She is also a former councillor in the London Borough of Newham[13] where she represented the Boleyn ward.[14]

In the 2019 general election, Kitchen stood for Labour in South Northamptonshire,[15] finishing in second place with 20.9% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP and Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom.[16]

In November 2023, she was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Wellingborough.[17] When the recall petition to remove Peter Bone was successful, she launched her campaign in the 2024 Wellingborough by-election.[18] She was endorsed by the former Conservative leader of the local council.[2] Kitchen was elected as MP for Wellingborough, winning with 45.9% of the vote and a majority of 6,436.[19]

Personal life

Kitchen married her husband Joe in October 2023 and later stated that she had cut short her honeymoon in Suffolk to campaign in the 2024 by-election.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Election results for Boleyn, 3 May 2018". Newham Council. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Carter, William (15 December 2024). "Woman who'll fight Wellingborough constituency for Labour outlines pledges – as she's backed by former Conservative council leader". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2024. Gen's interest in politics began during the 2005 election ... which coincidentally fell on her birthday of May 5.
  3. ^ a b "Who are Damien Egan and Gen Kitchen? Labour's new MPs after by-election victories". Politics.co.uk. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ Taggart, Emma; Scott, Geraldine (14 February 2024). "Meet Labour's Wellingborough candidate scenting victory against Tories". The Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  5. ^ Murray, Jessica (20 December 2023). "Peter Bone saga shows Tories are weak, Labour tells Wellingborough voters". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  6. ^ Cronin, Kate (11 November 2023). "Wellingborough Labour members select Genevieve Kitchen as their candidate to fight Peter Bone's seat at a potential by-election as she immediately calls on him to resign". Northamptonshire Telegraph.
  7. ^ "The candidates set for Wellingborough by-election". BBC News. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Archie (16 February 2024). "Who is Gen Kitchen? Labour's new MP for Wellingborough - The Northamptonshire constituency was the second most marginal seat for Labour in Sir Tony Blair's 1997 landslide, with Paul Stinchcombe winning by just 187 votes". The Independent. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections: Tories suffer two defeats with big swings to Labour". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  10. ^ Lepper, Joe (21 December 2023). "Senior charity fundraiser to fight in next by-election for Labour". Charity Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  11. ^ Bagley, Alison (30 November 2023). "Labour parliamentary candidate Gen Kitchen gets crafty at Wellingborough community centre". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Genevieve Kitchen". LinkedIn. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ Walker, Peter (2024-02-06). "'We're not complacent': Labour wary of overconfidence in Wellingborough byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  14. ^ "Newham heads to the polls for Boleyn by-election". Newham Recorder. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ Neame, Katie (7 February 2024). "Wellingborough PPC hopes by-election win would have 'domino effect' in region". LabourList. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Northamptonshire South Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  17. ^ Coffey, Laura (13 November 2023). "Wellingborough: Labour select candidate in Peter Bone's seat". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ Quinn, Ben; Badshah, Nadeem (19 December 2023). "Voters in Wellingborough trigger byelection after suspension of Peter Bone". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Wellingborough Parliamentary by-election". BBC News. 16 February 2024..
  20. ^ Kitchen, Genevieve (29 November 2023). "Wellingborough PPC: 'I cut short my honeymoon to win this by-election'". LabourList. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded byPeter Bone Member of Parliamentfor Wellingborough 2024–present Incumbent
Labour Party MPs in the East Midlands
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