Stuart Young (politician)

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The Honourable
Stuart Young
SC, MP
Stuart Young 2016 (cropped).jpg
Young in 2016
8th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 March 2025

Stuart Richard Young SC MP (born 9 February 1975) is a Trinidadian attorney and politician who is the eighth and incumbent prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago since 2025. He has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Port-of-Spain North/St. Ann's West since 2015.

Contents

He was the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. On 6 January 2025 it was announced Young would be the presumptive nominee to succeed as 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 20 June 2024. [2]

Early life and education

Young was born on Henry Street, Port of Spain, on 9 February 1975 to Richard Peter Young, a banker, and Priscilla Hosein, a nurse. He is of Chinese and East Indian descent; his father is of Chinese descent and his mother is of Indian Muslim descent from Lal Beharry Trace in Penal–Debe. [3] [4] [5] 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. [6] [7] . [8] While in school he participated in competitive swimming, cycling, and running, as well as being a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Sea Scouts. [9] He was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a junior barrister at Gray's Inn in July 1997. [7] [10] 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 bars of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda. [10]

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. [7] 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. [10] He is the chair and a founding member of Synergy Entertainment Network Limited and W.I. Sports Limited. [7] [10]

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. [10] 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. [11] 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. [7] [12]

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. [7] He has been described as the "Minister of Everything". [13] 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. [14]

Young was re-elected to office during the 2020 general election on 10 August 2020. [7] He was appointed to the joint select committee for Energy Affairs and the Cannabis Control Bill, 2020 on 9 November 2020. [15] He was also a co-chair of the Government Empowered Negotiating Team for energy. [16] 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. [17] [18]

In December 2022, Young was elected as the Chairman of the People's National Movement (PNM). [19]

On 3 January 2025, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister before elections are constitutionally due later this year. On 26 February 2025, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced he would officially resign from office on 16 March. [20] On 6 January 2025, Stuart Young was elected by the PNM Parliamentary caucus as Prime Minister designate. [21] [22] He won with 11 votes to Pennelope Beckles-Robinson's 9. [22] He replaced Rowley on 17 March 2025, becoming Trinidad and Tobago's 8th Prime Minister. [23]

After becoming Prime Minister, a social media post about the incident of him being accused of bullying Khan at school, posted by Khan's sister Nadia, became popular. and Young responded a few days later saying that bullying in Trinidad and Tobago could not be overlooked. MP for Princes Town, Barry Padarath, has asked Young to apologise. [8] [24]

5 hours after assuming his role as Prime Minister, Young changed Rowley's cabinet. He changed the finance minister from Colm Imbert to Vishnu Dhanpaul, the former Trinidadian High Commissioner to Canada. He also replaced Reginald Armour with Camille Robinson-Regis, the former housing minister, as the new attorney general. As well as replacing security minister, Fitz Hinds, with Marvin Gonzales, replacing Robinson-Regis as housing minister with Adrian Leonce. Hassel Bacchus stayed as digital transformation minister, as well as taking on the role of finance minister. [25] On his second day in office as the 8th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Young advised President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve parliament and set 28 April 2025 as the date for a fresh general election, the 15th under the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago. [26]

References

  1. ↑ "Stuart Young to replace Rowley as Trinidad's prime minister". 6 January 2025.
  2. ↑ Webb, Yvonne (15 June 2024). "Young humbled and grateful for silk recognition". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Stuart still visits relatives in Debe". 28 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Stuart's root is Lal Beharry Trace, Penal". Trinidad Express. 26 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Young all along". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "Stuart Young's life outside politics". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian . 28 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Honourable Stuart Young, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 "PM breaks silence on viral post about incident he was involved in 33 years ago". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  9. ↑ "PM Young—Attorney, father of two and steelpan lover". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stuart Young | PNM: PoS North/St Ann West". Trinidad and Tobago Express . 14 July 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Office of The Prime Minister – Republic of Trinidad and Tobago". www.opm.gov.tt. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "New T&T Cabinet sworn in". Stabroek News . 11 September 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Minister of Energy and Energy Industries". Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Douglas, Sean (11 November 2020). "House names MPs to 20 committees". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ Hamilton-Davis, Ryan (19 April 2021). "Stuart Young is new Energy Minister". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Rowley retains leadership of PNM | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "PM announces resignation date as March 16". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Reporter, Newsday (6 January 2025). "Stuart Young picked to be PM". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  22. 1 2 "11–9 vote in favour of Young confirmed by PNM party official". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  23. ↑ "Stuart Young is the new Prime Minister, Camille Robinson-Regis is AG". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  24. ↑ "The baton attack on teen Stuart". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  25. ↑ Wilkinson, Bert (20 March 2025). "New Trinidadian Prime Minister Stuart Young adjusts cabinet". www.caribbeanlife.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  26. ↑ Charles, Jacqueline (18 March 2025). "A day after becoming prime minister, Trinidad's Stuart Young calls for new elections". Miami Herald . Retrieved 21 March 2025.
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
2025–preseny		Incumbent
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