Gen Kitchen

Gen Kitchen
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Assistant Government Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Member of Parliament
for Wellingborough and Rushden
Wellingborough (2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 February 2024
Preceded byPeter William Bone
Majority5,456 (12.5%)
Member of Newham London Borough Council for Boleyn
In office
3 May 2018 – 5 May 2022
Personal details
Born
Genevieve Victoria Kitchen

(1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 (age 29)
Political partyLabour
Alma materQueen Mary University of London (BA)

Genevieve Victoria Kitchen[1] (born 5 May 1995)[2][3] is a British politician who has served as Assistant Government Whip since 2024. She is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wellingborough and Rushden (formerly named Wellingborough) since the 2024 Wellingborough by-election. A member of the Labour Party,[4] she was a member of Newham London Borough Council in Greater London from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and education

Genevieve Kitchen was born on 5 May 1995,[3] the daughter of two Royal Navy veterans.[5] She grew up in Northamptonshire, and attended Caroline Chisholm School in Northampton,[6] John Hellins Primary School in Towcester, and Kingsbrook Secondary School (now Elizabeth Woodville School) in Deanshanger.[7] She studied history and politics at Queen Mary University of London,[8] and graduated in 2016.[9]

Kitchen has been a fundraiser in the charity sector,[10][11] working with organisations including The Salvation Army, Sarcoma UK, a children's hospice and a children's health charity.[12] From 2018 to 2022, she was a councillor in the London Borough of Newham[13] representing the ward of Boleyn and served as Deputy Cabinet Member for Regeneration.[14]

Parliamentary career

Kitchen being sworn in to the House of Commons on 19 February 2024

In the 2019 general election, Kitchen stood for Labour in South Northamptonshire,[15] finishing in second place with 20.9 per cent of the vote behind Andrea Leadsom, the incumbent Conservative MP and business secretary.[16]

In November 2023, she was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Wellingborough.[17] When the recall petition to remove Peter Bone was successful, she launched her campaign in the 2024 Wellingborough by-election.[18] She was endorsed by the former Conservative leader of the local council.[2] Kitchen was elected as MP for Wellingborough, winning with 45.9 per cent of the vote and a majority of 6,436.[19]

She was re-elected in the renamed constituency of Wellingborough and Rushden in the 2024 general election.[20]

Personal life

Kitchen married her husband Joe in October 2023. She cut short her honeymoon in Suffolk to campaign in the 2024 Wellingborough by-election.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Election results for Boleyn, 3 May 2018". Newham Council. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Carter, William (15 December 2024). "Woman who'll fight Wellingborough constituency for Labour outlines pledges – as she's backed by former Conservative council leader". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2024. Gen's interest in politics began during the 2005 election ... which coincidentally fell on her birthday of May 5.
  3. ^ a b "Who are Damien Egan and Gen Kitchen? Labour's new MPs after by-election victories". Politics.co.uk. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ Taggart, Emma; Scott, Geraldine (14 February 2024). "Meet Labour's Wellingborough candidate scenting victory against Tories". The Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  5. ^ Murray, Jessica (20 December 2023). "Peter Bone saga shows Tories are weak, Labour tells Wellingborough voters". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  6. ^ Cronin, Kate (11 November 2023). "Wellingborough Labour members select Genevieve Kitchen as their candidate to fight Peter Bone's seat at a potential by-election as she immediately calls on him to resign". Northamptonshire Telegraph.
  7. ^ Coffey, Laura; Cooper, Pete (22 December 2023). "The candidates set for Wellingborough by-election". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Archie (16 February 2024). "Who is Gen Kitchen? Labour's new MP for Wellingborough - The Northamptonshire constituency was the second most marginal seat for Labour in Sir Tony Blair's 1997 landslide, with Paul Stinchcombe winning by just 187 votes". The Independent. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ Hancock, Sam, ed. (16 February 2024). "Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections: Tories suffer two defeats with big swings to Labour". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ Lepper, Joe (21 December 2023). "Senior charity fundraiser to fight in next by-election for Labour". Charity Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  11. ^ Bagley, Alison (30 November 2023). "Labour parliamentary candidate Gen Kitchen gets crafty at Wellingborough community centre". Northamptonshire Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Genevieve Kitchen". LinkedIn. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ Walker, Peter (6 February 2024). "'We're not complacent': Labour wary of overconfidence in Wellingborough byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  14. ^ Long, Rhiannon (1 November 2018). "Newham heads to the polls for Boleyn by-election". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ Neame, Katie (7 February 2024). "Wellingborough PPC hopes by-election win would have 'domino effect' in region". LabourList. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Northamptonshire South Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  17. ^ Coffey, Laura (13 November 2023). "Wellingborough: Labour select candidate in Peter Bone's seat". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ Quinn, Ben; Badshah, Nadeem (19 December 2023). "Voters in Wellingborough trigger byelection after suspension of Peter Bone". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  19. ^ Hancock, Sam, ed. (16 February 2024). "Wellingborough Parliamentary by-election". BBC News..
  20. ^ "Wellingborough and Rushden - UK General election 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  21. ^ Kitchen, Genevieve (29 November 2023). "Wellingborough PPC: 'I cut short my honeymoon to win this by-election'". LabourList. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Wellingborough
2024–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Wellingborough and Rushden
2024–present 		Incumbent