Catherine Atkinson
{{short description|British politician}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Catherine Atkinson
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}
| image = Official portrait of Catherine Atkinson MP crop 2.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| office = Member of Parliament
for Derby North
| predecessor = Amanda Solloway
| term_start = 4 July 2024
| term_end =
| majority = 8,915 (21.8%)
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| party = Labour
| education =
| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|
}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.catherineatkinson.com/}}
| occupation = Politician, barrister
}}
Catherine Helen Atkinson{{Cite Hansard |title=Members Sworn |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |date=10 July 2024 |volume=752 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-07-10/debates/3D219687-E412-4D22-890A-AA2887A23F99/MembersSworn}} is a British Labour Party politician and barrister serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North since 2024.{{Cite web |last=Duncan-Duggal |first=Ben |date=2024-07-05 |title=Derby North general election result: meet new MP Catherine Atkinson |url=https://labourlist.org/2024/07/derby-north-general-election-result-catherine-atkinson/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=LabourList |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |title=Derby North - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001193 |access-date=2024-07-05 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2024-05-23 |title=Apathy my biggest worry, says Labour candidate |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hzv795 |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=BBC Radio Derby |language=en-GB}} She defeated Conservative Amanda Solloway.
Early life
Two of her grandparents were Mexican-American. Atkinson attended Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith. She graduated a Master of Divinity from the University of Edinburgh.
She studied law at City, University of London. She was called to the bar at Deka Chambers in 2006; her colleague Jake Richards was also elected as a Labour MP at the 2024 General Election.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dekachambers.com/barrister/catherine-atkinson/|title=Catherine Atkinson|website=Deka Chambers|accessdate=14 July 2024}}{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Emma |date=2024-07-11 |title=Catherine Atkinson and Jake Richards successful in General Election - Deka Chambers - Barristers Chambers |url=https://www.dekachambers.com/2024/07/11/catherine-atkinson-and-jake-richards-successful-in-general-election/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Deka Chambers |language=en-GB}}
Political career
Atkinson first stood to become a Member of Parliament in the 2005 United Kingdom general election in the London constituency of Kensington and Chelsea, where she lost to incumbent Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
In 2006, she was elected as a Labour Councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. In May 2009, an unsuccessful motion was put forward to elect Atkinson as the next Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea.{{Cite web |date=20 May 2009 |title=Minutes of a meeting of the Council held at The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX at 6.30pm on 20 May 2009 |url=https://rbkc.moderngov.co.uk/Committees/Data/Council/200905201830/Agenda/Minutes.pdf |access-date=7 Jan 2025}} Her tenure on the council ended in 2010.
After a brief time away from public politics in the early 2010s, Atkinson stood for election three successive times at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections in Erewash, coming second on each occasion.{{Cite web |title=Election history for Erewash (Constituency) - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament |url=https://members.parliament.uk/constituency/3478/election-history |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=members.parliament.uk |language=en}}
Following her candidacy in Erewash, Atkinson was selected as the Labour candidate for Derby North in July 2022,{{Cite web |title=Derby North selects Catherine Atkinson as Labour Candidate |url=https://www.derbylabourparty.co.uk/news-and-updates/boxyrxj6f2vlcrs85pixyzbkvqyqje |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Derby Labour Party |language=en-GB}} where she would later successfully win the seat with 18,619 votes{{Cite web |title=Election result for Derby North (Constituency) - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament |url=https://members.parliament.uk/constituency/4008/election/422 |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=members.parliament.uk |language=en}} in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
As Derby North's MP, she is now a member of the Commons' Transport Select Committee and an officer of four All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), focused on justice, rail and nuclear energy.{{Cite web |title=APPG officer roles for Catherine Atkinson - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5143/appgofficerroles |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=members.parliament.uk |language=en}}
Personal life
Her husband, Daniel, served in Afghanistan and worked as a firefighter with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.{{Cite web |title=My Story |url=https://www.catherineatkinson.com/my-story |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Catherine Atkinson for Derby North |language=en-GB}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{official website}}
{{UK MP links
| parliament = 5143
| publicwhip = Catherine_Atkinson
| theywork = 26405
}}
{{Labour Party UK MPs}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Catherine}}
Category:Alumni of City, University of London
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:English people of American descent
Category:English people of Mexican descent
Category:British women lawyers
Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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