{{Short description|British Labour politician}} {{Use British English|date=October 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Kate Hollern | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} | image = Official portrait of Kate Hollern crop 2.jpg | office = Member of Parliament<br>for Blackburn | term_start = 7 May 2015 | term_end = 30 May 2024 | predecessor = Jack Straw | successor = Adnan Hussain | office1 = Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council | term_start1 = 14 September 2010 | term_end1 = 1 April 2015 | predecessor1 = Michael Lee | successor1 = Mohammed Khan | term_start2 = 1 July 2004 | term_end2 = 17 May 2007 | predecessor2 = Bill Taylor | successor2 = Colin Rigby | office3 = Member of Blackburn with Darwen Council | constituency3 = Wensley Fold (1997–2015)<br/>Bank Top (1995–1997) | term_start3 = 4 May 1995 | term_end3 = 7 May 2015 | predecessor3 = Christine Cramsie | successor3 = Quesir Mahmood | birth_name = Catherine Malloy Hollern | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|4|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Dumbarton, Scotland | party = Labour | caption = Official portrait, 2017 | spouse = John Roberts ({{circa}}1990; died 2017) | children = 2 }} '''Catherine Malloy Hollern''' CBE (born 12 April 1955) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn from 2015 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council from 2004 to 2007 and 2010 to 2015.
==Early life and career== Catherine Hollern was born on 12 April 1955 in Dumbarton.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue = 61230 | date = 18 May 2015 | page = 9123 }}</ref> She moved to Blackburn in the late 1970s.<ref name="leaflet2015"/> Hollern worked in management at a Blackburn footwear factory and later Blackburn College.<ref name="leaflet2015">{{cite book|last1=Hollern|first1=Kate|title=Elect Kate Hollern leaflet|date=April 2015|publisher=Labour Party}}</ref>
At the 1995 local elections, Hollern was elected to represent Bank Top on Blackburn with Darwen Council.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackburn Borough Council Election Results 1973-1996 |url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Blackburn-1973-1996.pdf}}</ref> She defeated the incumbent councillor, a former Labour representative standing as an independent.
Hollern was re-elected to represent Wensley Fold following boundary changes in 1997,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Election Results 1997-2012 |url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Blackburn-with-Darwen-1997-2012.pdf}}</ref> and in 2004 she succeeded Bill Taylor to become Council Leader. She continued as group leader after Labour lost control in 2007, she returned to lead the Council once they regained power in 2010.<ref name="bb-lab">{{cite web |title=About Kate |url=http://blackburnlabour.org/kate-hollern/about-kate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203105138/http://blackburnlabour.org/kate-hollern/about-kate/ |archive-date=3 February 2015 |access-date=13 April 2015 |publisher=Blackburn Labour Party}}</ref>
Hollern stepped down as Council Leader and as a councillor in March 2015.<ref name="lancashiretelegraph-20150330">{{cite news |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11888432.Council_leader_Kate_Hollern_steps_down_to_fight_election/ |title=Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Kate Hollern steps down to fight election |newspaper=Lancashire Telegraph |date=30 March 2015 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216121705/http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11888432.Council_leader_Kate_Hollern_steps_down_to_fight_election/ |archive-date=16 December 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Parliamentary career== In March 2014, Hollern was selected, using an all-women shortlist, to succeed former cabinet minister Jack Straw as the Labour candidate for Blackburn.<ref name=bbc-20140331>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-26817867 |title=Kate Hollern replaces Jack Straw as Labour Blackburn candidate |publisher=BBC |date=31 March 2014 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925234607/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-26817867 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the 2015 general election, Hollern was elected to Parliament as MP for Blackburn with 56.3% of the vote and a majority of 12,760.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blackburn|url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/blackburn/|website=UK Polling Report|access-date=13 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412043838/http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/blackburn/|archive-date=12 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto2" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000570|title=Blackburn|website=Election 2015|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508043230/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000570|archive-date=8 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/12938440.Kate_Hollern_becomes_MP_as_Labour_hold_Blackburn Labour holds Blackburn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080433/http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/12938440.Kate_Hollern_becomes_MP_as_Labour_hold_Blackburn/|date=18 May 2015}}, lancashiretelegraph.co.uk; accessed 15 May 2015.</ref>
Hollern served as a Shadow Defence Minister from January 2016 to October 2016.
She supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2016/07/which-mps-and-meps-have-nominated-owen-smith/|title=Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith|date=2016-07-21|website=LabourList|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715214543/https://labourlist.org/2016/07/which-mps-and-meps-have-nominated-owen-smith/|archive-date=15 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 October 2016, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.katehollern.org/new_frontbench_role_for_kate_hollern_mp/|title=New Frontbench role for Kate Hollern MP|access-date=10 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114005352/http://www.katehollern.org/new_frontbench_role_for_kate_hollern_mp|archive-date=14 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
At the snap 2017 general election, Hollern was re-elected as MP for Blackburn with an increased vote share of 69.8% and an increased majority of 20,368.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |title=Blackburn parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000570 |work=BBC News}}</ref>
In July 2017, Hollern was appointed as Corbyn's Parliamentary private secretary (PPS).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/15412488.blackburn-mp-kate-gets-job-labour-leaders-key-aide/|title=Blackburn MP Kate gets job as Labour leader's key aide |first=Bill|last=Jacobs|work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=15 July 2017|access-date=19 March 2023}}</ref>
Hollern was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 64.9% and a decreased majority of 18,304.<ref>{{cite news |title=Blackburn Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000570 |access-date=24 November 2019 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
Following Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader, Hollern served as Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from 2020. She resigned on 12 May 2021 after being accused of trying to "isolate a parliamentary worker who had made allegations of sexual harassment" against former Labour MP Mike Hill.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/12/corbyn-aide-kate-hollern-isolate-staffer-accusing-ex-hartlepool-mp-mike-hill-sexual-harassment|title=Shadow minister steps down after MP accuses her of meddling in harassment case|work=The Guardian|last=Syal|first=Rajeev|date=12 May 2021|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref>
In January 2024, Hollern was re-selected as the Labour candidate for Blackburn at the 2024 general election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ex-Hyndburn MP and veteran Rossendale councillor chosen by Labour |date=13 March 2023 |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23382246.ex-hyndburn-mp-veteran-rossendale-councillor-chosen-labour/ |last=Jacobs |first=Bill |access-date=31 January 2024 |work=Lancashire Telegraph}}</ref> She lost in that election to Independent candidate Adnan Hussain by 132 votes.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Blackburn - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001102 |access-date=2024-07-05 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Personal life== Hollern's partner of 26 years was politician and trade unionist John Roberts.<ref name="john">{{cite news |date=28 February 2017 |title=Tributes paid to Councillor John Roberts after he loses battle with cancer |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/15121011.tributes-paid-councillor-john-roberts-loses-battle-cancer/ |access-date=1 March 2020 |work=Lancashire Telegraph}}</ref> Roberts served as a Member of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Chair of Blackburn Labour. He died in 2017 at the age of 61, having been diagnosed with cancer shortly after Hollern's election to Parliament in 2015.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} {{UK MP links |parliament=kate-hollern/4363 |publicwhip=Kate_Hollern |theywork=kate_hollern}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140806023350/http://94.236.33.182/CmiswebPublic/Member.aspx?personID=15 Kate Hollern profile] ''Blackburn with Darwen Council''
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before=Jack Straw}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for Blackburn|years=2015–2024}} {{s-aft|after=Adnan Hussain}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Kevan Jones}} {{s-ttl|title=Shadow Minister for the Armed Forces|years=2016}} {{s-aft|after=Wayne David}} |- {{s-bef|before=Steve Rotheram}} {{s-ttl|title=Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition|years=2017–2020}} {{s-aft|after=Tan Dhesi}} |- {{s-bef|before=Jim McMahon}} {{s-ttl|title=Shadow Minister for Local Government|years=2020–2021}} {{s-aft|after=Jeff Smith}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollern, Kate}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century British women politicians Category:21st-century Scottish women politicians Category:Councillors in Lancashire Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Lancashire Category:People from Dumbarton Category:Politics of Blackburn with Darwen Category:UK councillors 2011–2015 Category:UK MPs 2015–2017 Category:UK MPs 2017–2019 Category:UK MPs 2019–2024 Category:Women councillors in England Category:Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire