Kate Hollern

Kate Hollern was elected Labour MP for Blackburn in 2015, following a role as contracts manager at Blackburn College and 19 years’ service on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. On the council, Hollern served as leader of the borough’s Labour group as well as leader of the council, before being selected to contest the safe Labour seat of Blackburn, after the incumbent MP Jack Straw announced that he would stand down. Hollern held the seat with an increased majority of 12,760 and, after her election to parliament, joined the Education Committee before being appointed shadow defence minister in January 2016 and shadow communities minister later that year. After her re-election in 2017, Hollern was appointed as Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary private secretary, a post she held until January 2020. Hollern sat on the Procedure Committee in 2020, and is currently shadow minister for housing communities and local government. In 2019, Hollern was re-elected with a slightly reduced majority of 18,304 and she backed Keir Starmer’s succession to Labour leader. Hollern has been vocal on the current funding gap facing local councils, and has criticised the Conservative government for perceived failings in this area.