Catherine Ann Fookes (born October 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

since

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Education

Fookes was born in 1970 and was educated at the private Godolphin School. She later studied at Middlesex Polytechnic studying Business studies and French, and later she did a Masters in

Development Studies Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the ...

at the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

Professional life

Fookes worked as a Campaigner at ActionAid, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and the Organic Trade Board. She served as a board member on the Food and Drink Wales industry board helping to grow and promote the industry in Wale

In 2017 she became Chief executive officer, CEO of the Women's Equality Network Wales and chair of the Welsh

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

, Fabians Cymru.

Political career

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Fookes contested the Wyesham ward on

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) () is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 and covers the eastern ...

. She came second, by 24 votes, to the Welsh Conservatives' Laura Anne Jones. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

she was successfully elected to the Council, representing the Town ward in Monmouth. While on the council she job-shared the equalities and engagement portfolio on the council. She quit her portfolio and job for Women's Equality Network Wales in 2023, after being selected as Labour parliamentary candidate for the 2024 UK general election and to work on the campaign full-time. In the

2024 United Kingdom general election The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a lan ...

, Fookes raised more than £20,000 from trade unions to fight her campaign. In the 2024 general election, Fookes was elected as MP for

with a majority of 3,338 (6.5%), defeating former Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies. On 17 July, Fookes announced her intention to resign her role as a councillor with a statement on social media, saying she would stand down "after the summer," saying she wished to avoid a by-election for her constituents in the summer holidays. Fookes resigned her seat in September 2024, with the following by-election won by Martin Newell, the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate. In October 2024, Fookes was elected to the Women and Equalities Select Committee In her '' South Wales Argus'' column, she vowed to end river pollution by 2029, naming it her "top priority". In January 2025, Fookes was elected as a Co-Chair for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Western Gateway.

Views and voting record

In January 2024, Fookes came out in favour of more

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...

for the Welsh Parliament, including criminal justice. In July 2024, Fookes came out and defended embattled First Minister

Vaughan Gething Humphrey Vaughan ap David Gething (born 15 March 1974) is a Welsh Labour Co-op politician who served as First Minister of Wales from March to August 2024, and served as leader of Welsh Labour from March to July 2024, making him the first blac ...

, stating: "He has my full support". Gething ended up resigning the following month. In November 2024, Fookes voted in favour of removing winter fuel allowance to pensioners. In 2025, Fookes voted against holding an inquiry into grooming gangs. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/how-your-mp-voted-on-holding-an-inquiry-into-grooming-gangs/ar-AA1xc3lp?cvid=1BD98B4917C744B69DE766FDADE037D9&ocid=bingcoronaviruslinks&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fookes, Catherine 1970 births Living people 21st-century Welsh women politicians Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Monmouthshire UK MPs 2024–present Welsh Labour MPs Welsh Labour councillors Women councillors in Wales