Alistair Strathern

Alistair Strathern MP
Official portrait, 2023
Member of Parliament for Hitchin
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 July 2024
Preceded by	Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden)
Majority	7,109 (13.6%)
Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire
In office 19 October 2023 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Nadine Dorries
Succeeded by	Blake Stephenson
Member of Waltham Forest Council for Higham Hill
In office 26 May 2014 – 5 September 2023
Succeeded by	Shumon Ali-Rahman[1]
Personal details
Born	Alistair Luke Strathern (1990-03-05) 5 March 1990 (age 34)
Political party	Labour
Domestic partner	Megan Corton Scott
Relatives	Theresa May (first cousin once removed)
Education	St Anne's College, Oxford (BA)
Website	alistairstrathern.com

Alistair Luke Strathern (born 5 March 1990) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hitchin since 2024. He previously served as MP for Mid Bedfordshire after winning a by-election in 2023.

Early life and education

Alistair Strathern^[2] was born on 5 March 1990,^[3] and grew up in Bedfordshire.^[4] He was educated at Sharnbrook Academy in Sharnbrook,^[5] before studying philosophy, politics and economics at St Anne's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[6][7] While a student at Oxford, Strathern chaired the Oxford University Labour Club.^[8][9] While still at university, he stood in the 2010 Oxford City Council election for the ward of Holywell, finishing fourth.^[7]

Early career

After graduating, Strathern was employed by the Bank of England in regulating climate risk insurance.^[4][6][10] He had previously worked as a mathematics teacher.^[11] He was a Labour councillor for the ward of Higham Hill on Waltham Forest London Borough Council from 26 May 2014 until his resignation on 5 September 2023.^[12][13]

At Waltham Forest, Strathern held the post of "Cabinet Member for 15-Minute Neighbourhoods".^[14] Between 2014 and 2015, he was a director of Ascham Homes Limited, an arms-length management organisation that provided council housing in Waltham Forest.^[15][16]

Parliamentary career

At the 2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election, Strathern was elected to Parliament as MP for Mid Bedfordshire with 34.1% of the vote and a majority of 1,192.^[17][18][19]

The Guardian described the result as "delivering a significant blow to Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding on to power at the 2024 general election".^[17] During the campaign, the i wrote of Strathern: "On the surface the 33-year-old seems dependable, almost old-fashioned. There's a whiff of corduroy about him. His manner is upbeat but a tad shy; as if he's fought hard to be socially confident".^[20]

In January 2024, Strathern was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to both the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and Shadow Climate Secretary, Ed Miliband.^[21]

Also in January 2024, he announced his intention to contest Hitchin at the 2024 general election, which would include his home in Shefford and other parts of Mid Bedfordshire due to boundary changes.^[22][23] At the general election, Strathern was elected to Parliament as MP for Hitchin with 44.8% of the vote and a majority of 8,109.^[24][25]

Personal life

Strathern has taken part in protests organised by the environmental campaign group Greenpeace, including a stunt carried out in 2022 outside the Home Office by a group opposed to the Public Order Act.^[6] His involvement in the protest was revealed some months later, and sparked calls by the defence secretary Grant Shapps for his parliamentary candidacy to be withdrawn.^[26][27] A photograph of Strathern at the protest dressed as a zombie appeared on the front page of The Sun on 8 August 2023, under the headline "Wannabe Labour MP unmasked as 'zombie' Greenpeace zealot".^[20][28] Strathern stated that he does not regret the protest.^[20]

Strathern's partner is Megan Corton Scott, the Deputy Director of Labour Climate and Environment Forum.^{[29][30][31][32]} Strathern has a slight lisp, which has become less pronounced with age.^[20] He is a first cousin, once removed, of former Prime Minister Theresa May.^[33]

References

1. "Labour holds Higham Hill council seat amid poor turnout". Waltham Forest Echo. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
2. "No. 64210". The London Gazette. 26 October 2023. p. 21514.
3. Bloom, Dan (20 October 2023). "Swing when you're winning". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
4. Holmes, Amy (14 October 2023). "Mid Beds by-election: Candidates line up to replace Nadine Dorries MP". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
5. "Alistair Strathern: It's time for change". action.labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
6. Somerville, Ewan (8 August 2023). "Labour candidate to replace Nadine Dorries is Greenpeace 'zombie'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
7. Ratcliffe, Rebecca (9 May 2010). "Mark Mills re-elected to City Council". Cherwell. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
8. Earl, Jonathan (13 May 2010). "How Oxford East was held". The Oxford Student. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
9. Pine, Sarah (17 February 2016). "Race row engulfs Oxford University Labour club". LabourList | Latest UK Labour Party news, analysis and comment. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
10. "IRM Climate Group: Climate Resilience Strategies for the Financial Services Sector". Institute of Risk Management. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
11. "Shadow secretary of state visits Mid Beds to talk about Labour MP candidate Alistair Strathern". Bedford Independent. 4 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
12. "Councillor details - Councillor Alistair Strathern". democracy.walthamforest.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
13. "Cabinet member resigns to fight for Nadine Dorries' seat". Waltham Forest Echo. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
14. "Cllr Alistair Strathern catches up with residents at the Culture Fest in Fellowship Square". walthamforest.gov.uk. London Borough of Waltham Forest. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
15. "Alistair Luke Strathern", Companies House
16. Davis, Barnaby (7 July 2015). "Last resident's day announced for Ascham Homes tenants". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
17. Rawlinson, Kevin (20 October 2023). "Labour takes Nadine Dorries' former seat in Mid Bedfordshire byelection". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023.
18. "STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED, NOTICE OF POLL & SITUATION OF POLLING STATIONS". Central Bedfordshire Council. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
19. Blewett, Sam (20 October 2023). "Labour wins Mid Bedfordshire in historic by-election result". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
20. Strudwick, Patrick (18 October 2023). "'I'd never do I'm a Celeb': Labour's Mid Beds by-election hope takes swipe at outgoing Nadine Dorries". i. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
21. Doherty, Caitlin (24 January 2024), "Labour Creates Joint Shadow Treasury-Net Zero Role As Green Economics Faces Scrutiny", Politics Home, retrieved 25 January 2024
22. Croft, Ethan (23 January 2024). "New Labour MP denies doing 'chicken run' months after winning seat". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
23. Day, Christopher (22 January 2024). "Alistair Strathern selected as Labour candidate for Hitchin". The Comet (thecomet.net).
24. "Election results 2024", North Hertfordshire District Council, 5 July 2024
25. Smith, James (5 July 2024). "Labour win Hitchin seat with resounding majority". Hitchin Nub News. Retrieved 6 July 2024. There is a typographic error in the source, which shows the number of votes for Strathern as 22,067, when the correct figure was 23,067.
26. Hughes, Seren (8 August 2023). "Nadine Dorries by-election: Starmer urged to drop 'eco-mob' candidate". The Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
27. Stedman, Harry (27 August 2023). "Greenpeace criticism 'desperate', Mid Bedfordshire Labour candidate says". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
28. The Sun [@TheSun] (7 August 2023). "On tomorrow's front page: A Labour by-election candidate is today unmasked as a Greenpeace zealot". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
29. "Who We Are". Labour Climate and Environment Forum.
30. Childs, Simon (27 September 2022). "Protesters call out 'environmental racism' at New Statesman event at Labour conference". Novara Media. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
31. Corton Scott, Megan (20 October 2023). "HISTORIC BY-ELECTION WINNER but more importantly the love of my life". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
32. Hutchinson, Emma. "Why the Mid Bedfordshire by-election result is a big deal - and what it means for the Tories". ITV News. Retrieved 22 October 2023. Labour candidate hugs his partner Megan Corton Scott
33. "Theresa May – 2023 Speech on the Loyal Address – UKPOL.CO.UK". 8 November 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Nadine Dorries	Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire 2023–2024	Succeeded by Blake Stephenson
Preceded by Bim Afolami	Member of Parliament for Hitchin 2024–present	Incumbent