Claire Young

Last updated
Claire Young
MP
Official portrait of Claire Young MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Thornbury and Yate
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024

Claire Louise Young [1] is a Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Thornbury and Yate since 2024. [2] Before the election, she was also the Leader of South Gloucestershire Council.

Contents

Early life and education

Young graduated with a Master of Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1995 and a Master of Science in Software Engineering from the University of Oxford in 1999. She later completed a Masters by Research in Global Environmental Challenges at the University of Bristol in 2024. [3] After graduating from Cambridge Young spent a decade working in the software industry. She began her career with IBM, where her work included stints in Silicon Valley, and later worked for high-tech start-up businesses in the UK. [4]

Political career

Young has been a Councillor on South Gloucestershire Council since 2007, first being elected to represent Westerleigh. [5] During this time she has campaigned with other parents to end the under-funding of local schools, which are amongst the lowest funded in the country. She also fought for better support for children with special needs and disabilities, chairing a Council review of this area of provision. [6]

Young first stood for the Parliamentary constituency of Thornbury and Yate at the 2017 United Kingdom general election, where she came second. She stood again at the 2019 United Kingdom general election, again coming second.

At the 2023 South Gloucestershire Council election, Young was re-elected as a Councillor for Frampton Cotterell ward with an increased share of the vote. The results saw the ruling Conservative administration lose 10 seats, losing control of the administration for the first time since 2015. After a period of negotiations, Young became Leader of the Council following an agreement which saw the Liberal Democrats and Labour agree to form a joint administration. [7]

At the 2024 United Kingdom general election, she contested the Thornbury and Yate seat for a third time - defeating Conservative incumbent Luke Hall by 3,014 votes.

Shortly after the result was declared, Young announced that she would be standing down as Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, telling the BBC "I'm going to stand down because I think it's important that Leader of council in itself is a full time role. I think it's important to do to do one job well". [8]

Parliamentary career

Young was sworn in as an MP on 10 July. She made her maiden speech on 29 July during a debate on the future of British railways. In her speech, she called for the Government to improve South Gloucestershire's railway links by investing in greater flood prevention, support the redevelopment of Yate station, and reopen the stations at Pilning, Coalpit Heath and Thornbury. [9]

Personal life

Young currently lives in Yate, having previously raised her two children in Coalpit Heath. [10] In her spare time she is a keen walker and amateur photographer. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gloucestershire</span> Local government district in Gloucestershire, England

South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Kingswood, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke. The southern part of its area falls within the Greater Bristol urban area surrounding the city of Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Beith</span> British politician

Alan James Beith, Baron Beith, is a British Liberal Democrat politician who represented Berwick-upon-Tweed as its Member of Parliament (MP) from 1973 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette Brooke</span> British politician

Dame Annette Lesley Brooke, DBE is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Dorset and North Poole from the 2001 general election to 2015. In 2001, she became the first female MP elected in a general election in Dorset. At the time she left office, Brooke was the longest serving female MP in the history of the Liberal Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Webb</span> British pensions commentator

Sir Steven John Webb is a British pensions commentator who was previously Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Northavon from 1997 to 2010 and for Thornbury and Yate from 2010 to 2015. He was the Minister of State for Pensions in the coalition government of David Cameron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Ward</span> British politician

Claire Margaret Ward is a British Labour Party politician who was elected Mayor of the East Midlands in May 2024. Previously, she served as Member of Parliament for Watford from 1997 to 2010. Ward was a Government Whip from 2005 to 2009 and a Justice Minister from 2009 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northavon (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

Northavon was, from 1983 until 2010, a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sal Brinton</span> British politician (born 1955)

Sarah Virginia Brinton, Baroness Brinton, known as Sal Brinton, is a British politician who served as president of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2020. In November 2010 she was nominated to the House of Lords, taking her place on 10 February 2011 having been created Baroness Brinton, of Kenardington in the County of Kent on 4 February. After Jo Swinson lost her seat at the 2019 general election, Brinton and Sir Ed Davey became acting co-leaders of the Liberal Democrats. After Brinton's term as party president ended, her successor Mark Pack also succeeded her as acting co-leader with Davey. Davey was elected as permanent leader of the party in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filton and Bradley Stoke (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Filton and Bradley Stoke is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Claire Hazelgrove from the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornbury and Yate (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Thornbury and Yate is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 election by Claire Young, a member of the Liberal Democrats. Encompassing an area to the north-east of Bristol, it is one of three constituencies that make up the South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority Area, along with Filton and Bradley Stoke and Kingswood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

South Gloucestershire, also known as Gloucestershire South, was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The region of South West England is divided into 58 parliamentary constituencies, which are made up of 16 borough constituencies and 42 county constituencies. Since the general election of July 2024, 24 are represented by Labour MPs, 22 by Liberal Democrat MPs, 11 by Conservative MPs, and 1 by a Green MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layla Moran</span> British politician (born 1982)

Layla Michelle Moran is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She has served as the Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee since September 2024, and has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan Hames</span> British Former Liberal Democrat politician

Duncan John Hames is a Director of Policy at Transparency International UK and a former Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Chippenham constituency in Wiltshire from 2010 to 2015. Between 2012 and 2015, he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Nick Clegg when he was Deputy Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessa Munt</span> British politician (born 1959)

Tessa Jane Munt (née Vasey) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She is the Member of Parliament for Wells and Mendip Hills in Somerset, having previously been elected as the MP for Wells from 2010 to 2015 and serving as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable. As a councillor on Somerset Council, she was the executive member for Children, Families and Education from 2022 until 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gloucestershire Council</span>

South Gloucestershire Council is the local authority of South Gloucestershire, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England, covering an area to the north of the city of Bristol. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Gloucestershire County Council. Since 2017 the council has been a member of the West of England Combined Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Frazer</span> British politician (born 1972)

Lucy Claire Frazer is a British politician and barrister who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from February 2023 to July 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Robinson (British politician)</span> British politician (born 1955)

Mary Josephine Robinson is a British Conservative politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheadle at the 2015 general election. At the 2024 general election, Robinson lost her seat to Tom Morrison of the Liberal Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Hall (politician)</span> British politician

Luke Anthony Hall is a British Conservative politician and former retail manager who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Thornbury and Yate from 2015 until May 2024. He served as Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government from 2020 to 2021, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from February to July 2022 and from 2023 to 2024, and Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education from March to July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Cooper</span> British politician (born 1981)

Daisy Cooper is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans since 2019. She has served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020, as well as the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson since 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Bennett</span> British politician

Alison Elizabeth Bennett is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Sussex since 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "New Thornbury and Yate MP revealed in close election". Gazette. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  3. ↑ "Meet our Climate Ambassadors". Climate Outreach. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Claire's Story". South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  5. ↑ "Local Election Results 2007 South Gloucestershire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  6. ↑ "Claire's Story". South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Liberal Democrat and Labour partnership, Leaders and Cabinet Members agreed at South Gloucestershire's annual full Council meeting". South Gloucestershire Newsroom. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  8. ↑ "Council leader to resign so she can do 'one job well'". BBC News. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "What new MP said about Thornbury and Yate in parliament". Gazette. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  10. ↑ "Our new MPs: Andrew George, Gideon Amos, Cameron Thomas, Claire Young and Rachel Gilmour". Liberal Democrat Voice. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Claire's Story". South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 15 August 2024.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.