Stuart Young (politician)

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The Honourable
Stuart Young
SC, MP
Stuart Young 2016 (cropped).jpg
Young in 2016
Prime Minister-designate of Trinidad and Tobago
Assuming office
TBD

Stuart Richard Young SC MP (born 9 February 1975) is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and an attorney at law, representing the People's National Movement (PNM). He has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Port-of-Spain North/St. Ann's West since the 2015 general election. He is the current Minister of Energy and Energy Industries and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. On January 6th, 2025 it was announced Young would be presumptive nominee to become successor for Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago in August 2025 when Prime Minister Keith Rowley intends to resign from representational politics [1] . Young has previously held the posts of Minister of National Security, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and Minister of Communications. Young was appointed a Senior Counsel on June 20, 2024. [2]

Contents

Early life

Young was born on Henry Street, Port of Spain, on 9 February 1975 to Richard Peter Young, a first generation Trinidad-born Chinese and Priscilla Hosein, of East Indian descent from Lal Beharry Trace in Penal–Debe. [3] [4] He was the oldest of three children. He attended St Mary's College in Port of Spain, where he was a head altar boy. He considered becoming a priest or accountant but ultimately decided to pursue law at the University of Nottingham in England. [5] [6] He was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a junior barrister at Gray's Inn in July 1997. [6] [7] The following year, he received a legal education certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School and was admitted to the bar in Trinidad and Tobago. He was also admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda. [7]

Young has appeared as counsel in various commissions of enquiry, including the Piarco Commission of Enquiry, the Commission of Enquiry into the Construction Sector and the Commission of Enquiry into the Hindu Credit Union and CL Financial. [6] He served on the American Chamber of Commerce legislative committee, as a board member of FUNDAID, and as a council member of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago. [7] He is the chair and a founding member of Synergy Entertainment Network Limited and W.I. Sports Limited. [6] [7]

Political career

Young (left) with Faris Al-Rawi and John L. Estrada in 2016 2016 TT Independence Day 05.jpg
Young (left) with Faris Al-Rawi and John L. Estrada in 2016

Young began his political career on 18 March 2014, serving as a temporary Opposition Senator during the 4th Session of the 10th Republican Parliament. [7] The following year, he was successfully chosen as the People's National Movement's (PNM) candidate to be the Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Port-of-Spain North/St Ann's West. He was elected into office on 7 September 2015. [8] Following the election, he was appointed as a Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs on 11 September 2015, a post that he held until 5 August 2018. [6] [9]

On 17 March 2016, he was assigned to the additional position of Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. From 7 June 2018 until 20 July 2019, he was Minister of Communications and from 6 August 2018 until 18 April 2021, he was Minister of National Security. [6] He has been described as the "Minister of Everything". [10] Young also serves as chairman of the Finance & General Purposes Committee of the Cabinet (F&GP), as well as being a member of the National Security Council (NSC), the Energy Standing Committee, the Human Advisory Committee, the Committee of Privileges and the Statutory Instruments Committee. [11]

Young was re-elected to office during the 2020 general election on 10 August 2020. [6] He was appointed to the joint select committee for Energy Affairs and the Cannabis Control Bill, 2020 on 9 November 2020. [12] He was also a co-chair of the Government Empowered Negotiating Team for energy. [13] On 19 April 2021, he was re-assigned as Minister of Energy and Energy Industries to take over from Franklin Khan, who died in office. [14] [15]

In December 2022, Young was elected as the Chairman of the People's National Movement (PNM). [16] .

On January 3, 2025, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced his intention to demit office as Prime Minister before elections are constitutionally due later this year. On January 6, 2025, Stuart Young was elected by his PNM colleagues as Prime Minister, succeeding Rowley. [17]

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References

  1. ↑ https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/caribbean/20250106/stuart-young-replace-rowley-trinidads-prime-minister
  2. ↑ Webb, Yvonne (2024-06-15). "Young humbled and grateful for silk recognition". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  3. ↑ "Stuart's root is Lal Beharry Trace, Penal". Trinidad Express. 26 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Young all along". rinidad and Tobago Newsday. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Stuart Young's life outside politics". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian . 28 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Honourable Stuart Young, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stuart Young | PNM: PoS North/St Ann West". Trinidad and Tobago Express . 14 July 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Office of The Prime Minister - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago". www.opm.gov.tt. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  9. ↑ "New T&T Cabinet sworn in". Stabroek News . 11 September 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Connelly, Corey (11 August 2018). "Young, moving on up". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Minister of Energy and Energy Industries". Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Douglas, Sean (11 November 2020). "House names MPs to 20 committees". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Execution of various contracts negotiated by the GORTT empowered negotiation team and BPTT- Phase 1b". Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Revocation and Re-assignment of Responsibility of the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries" (PDF). Trinidad and Tobago Gazette. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Hamilton-Davis, Ryan (19 April 2021). "Stuart Young is new Energy Minister". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Rowley retains leadership of PNM | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  17. ↑ Reporter, Newsday (2025-01-06). "Stuart Young picked to be PM". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
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