Catherine McKinnell appointed education minister
Catherine McKinnell has been appointed as a minister of state at the Department for Education under new Prime Minister Kier Starmer.
She joins a new Department for Education (DfE), with Bridget Phillipson as the new Education Secretary, and Jacqui Smith who was appointed as a DfE minister on Saturday.
Catherine McKinnell, the Newcastle North MP, had served as shadow schools minister since last year.
Catherine studied Politics and History at Edinburgh University and then Law at Northumbria University. After graduating Catherine became an employment solicitor in Newcastle. She entered politics in 2010, being elected as the first female Labour MP for the former Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency.
She has held various shadow ministerial positions, including Shadow Children’s Minister, Shadow Treasury Minister and Shadow Attorney General. After successfully retaining her MP seat in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 general elections she served as Chair of the Petitions Committee in Parliament.
In addition to her parliamentary roles, Catherine has lead campaigns on various cross-party issues such as Apprenticeships, Investment in the East Coast Mainline, Support for the Armed Forces, International Development (CAFOD) and Against Antisemitism.
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