Kim Leadbeater
Kim Michele Leadbeater (born 1 May 1976) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen since 2021. Early life and education. Leadbeater was born in 1976 in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England: her parents are Jean and Gordon, and she is the younger sister of Jo Cox. She attended Heckmondwike Grammar School, and has lived in "every little bit of" the local area. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in health-related exercise and fitness from Leeds Beckett University in 2005 and a  Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Huddersfield in 2008. Career. Before moving into politics, Leadbeater was a lecturer in physical health at Bradford College, and has worked as a personal trainer. Political career. On 23 May 2021, Leadbeater was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election. Her older sister, Jo Cox, had served as the constituency's MP from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016. Upon her selection, Leadbeater declared that she was "the candidate the Tories fear." Her selection proved controversial, as Leadbeater had been selected despite only  joining the party in recent weeks; the rule requiring that candidates should be a member of the party for a year before being nominated was waived. She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen on 1 July 2021, with a 323-vote majority. Leadbeater made her maiden speech on 9 September 2021 during a debate on her sister's legacy. In her first six months in parliament, her two longest speeches were tributes to her sister and to David Amess, another MP who had been murdered. She argued that MPs safety was not being taken  seriously enough, and she called for anonymity on social media to become an exception to combat a culture of abuse. Political views. During her campaign she visited a mosque and spoke in favour of a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She is a member of Labour Friends of Israel. Personal life. Leadbeater lives in Gomersal, Kirklees, with her partner Claire. Awards. In 2018, Leadbeater was awarded the UK's one thousandth Points of Light award by Prime Minister Theresa May for having "rejected the hate that marked [her] sister's murder to continue Jo's work and  ensure that Jo's determination to change the world has lived on." In the 2021 New Year Honours, Leadbeater was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "[f]or services to Social Cohesion, to the community in Batley, West Yorkshire and to Combatting Loneliness during Covid-19", when she was described in "The London Gazette" as "Ambassador, Jo Cox Foundation and Chair, More in Common Batley and Spen".