| Born in Denton, the third of eight children, Catherine’s roots in Newcastle are deep. She grew up in the West End of the city, attending Sacred Heart Comprehensive School in Fenham, and her family goes back generations in this area. |
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| Catherine studied Politics and History at Edinburgh University and then Law at Northumbria University. |
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| After graduating Catherine became an employment solicitor in Newcastle. She entered politics in 2010, being elected as the first female Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North. |
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| Over the years, she has held various shadow ministerial positions, including Shadow Children’s Minister, Shadow Treasury Minister and Shadow Attorney General. After successfully retaining her MP seat in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 general elections she served as Chair of the Petitions Committee in Parliament. Catherine was most recently appointed Labour’s Shadow Schools Minister. |
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| In addition to her parliamentary roles, Catherine has lead campaigns on various cross-party issues such as Apprenticeships, Investment in the East Coast Mainline, Support for the Armed Forces, International Development (CAFOD) and Against Antisemitism. |
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