Keir Mather: Publicly gay Labour MP new ‘baby of the house’ after by-election win
He takes the seat from Tory MP Nigel Adams.
Keir Mather, 25, has won the Selby and Ainsty by-election and becomes the newest Labour MP.
Mather managed to overturn a whopping Conservative majority of 20,137 in the North Yorkshire constituency, winning by over 4,000 votes.
He picked up 16,456 votes, while Conservative candidate Claire Holmes came in second place with 12,295.
The seat was forced into a by-election after Tory MP Nigel Adams resigned back in June this year.
“I really hope to be a representative for the power that young people have to make a difference”
Speaking at Selby Leisure Centre upon his win, Mr Mather told reporters: “As a young person in politics, I really hope to be a representative for the power that young people have to make a difference.”
When he was quizzed on whether he could understand the needs of voters at the age of 25, he said: “Well, I’m a taxpayer too, I feel the pressures like anyone else.”
Listed amongst his immediate priorities are to set up financial support centres in Selby and Ainsty. These will assist constituents in getting expert help with the likes of energy bills and mortgage payments.
Mr Mather confirmed to journalists that he supported Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial plans to keep the Conservative policy of a two-child benefit cap.
“I think we’re going to inherit an absolute economic mess from the Conservatives when we take power.
“We’re going to have to make extremely difficult decisions once we do. I support the Labour government in doing so,” he added.
Who is new gay Labour MP Keir Mather?
Mather was born in Hull in 1998 and grew up near Selby. He joined the youth parliament and set up a Labour group in Hull, his mum told the BBC.
He is currently 25-years-old, which makes him the new “baby of the house”. This is the nickname for the youngest MP in the House of Commons.
The MP studied at the University of Oxford, where he gained a first-class degree in history and politics.
He previously worked for fellow Labour MP Wes Streeting as a parliamentary researcher. He then went on to work in public affairs for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Back in 2018, Mather spoke about his identity as a gay man when he challenged Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko over the torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya.
“Ambassador, I’m a gay man. And if I lived in Chechnya over the last year I would have run the risk of being imprisoned, and tortured, and possibly killed by either my family or the state,” according to Oxford’s student newspaper Cherwell.
He went on to add: “On behalf of all the LGBT Chechnyan people who will not have an opportunity to ask a question because they’re voiceless, I’d like ask you why nobody who’s perpetrated these crimes or has condoned them has been brought to justice, or faced any sort of criminal action, and also I’d like to ask you when the LGBTQ+ community in Russian will have their rights not only has citizens but as human beings.”
The ambassador was forced to defend the nation’s record, and declared: “It’s difficult to say if there are any gay people in Chechnya.”
Mr Mather has previously worked as a parliamentary researcher for shadow health secretary Wes Streeting. More recently, he acted as senior public affairs adviser at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Outside of his work in politics, he is also a lifelong supporter of rugby league team Hull Kingston Rovers.