Catherine West

Catherine West (born 14 September 1966 in Sydney) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She is currently a Shadow Foreign Office Minister, a position which she has held since September 2015. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornsey and Wood Green since May 2015.

West was born on 14 September 1966 and was raised in Sydney, Australia. She was educated at Ravenswood School for Girls. She studied at the University of Sydney and later gained a master's degree in Chinese politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

From 2 May 2002 to 22 May 2014, West was a member of the Islington London Borough Council representing the Tollington Ward. She was leader of the council's Labour Party group from 2004 to 10 October 2013 and Council Leader from 6 May 2010 to 10 October 2013.

She was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornsey and Wood Green in the 2015 general election.

Following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party, Catherine was promoted to the Official Opposition Frontbench as a Shadow Foreign Office Minister.

During the 2016 EU Referendum Campaign, Catherine was one of Britain Stronger In Europe's Political Champions, campaigning for the UK to remain within the European Union, arguing that "Britain would be stronger, more prosperous, more secure and more peaceful" if they were to remain within the EU. Catherine's constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green lies within the London Borough of Haringey, which secured the fourth highest remain vote in the country. Following the EU referendum, Catherine confirmed she would vote against invoking article 50 should a vote come before parliament. In September 2016, Catherine founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on UK-EU Relations, that seeks to secure a positive and progressive relationship between Britain and the EU. This group has cross-party support with Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas, former Conservative Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan and Former Labour Higher Education Minister David Lammy amongst its elected officers.

West opposes the renewal of Trident nuclear weapon system.

In September 2015, West along with Tulip Siddiq and Keir Starmer wrote a letter to British prime minister David Cameron seeking urgent action to address the refugee crisis due to the Syrian Civil War.

West is a Quaker. She is one of three Quakers who were elected during the 2015 general election, the others being Ruth Cadbury and Tania Mathias.