Kerry McCarthy

Kerry Gillian McCarthy (born 26 March 1965) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol East since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she was Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2015 to 2016. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Climate from July 2024 to September 2025.

McCarthy was born in Luton, where she attended Denbigh High School, followed by Luton Sixth Form College. McCarthy studied at the University of Liverpool reading Russian studies, before studying law at City of London Polytechnic.

McCarthy qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and worked as a lawyer for Abbey National Treasury Services (1994–1996), Merrill Lynch Europe (1996–1999) and the Labour Party (2001). She was a director of London Luton Airport Ltd (1999–2003), a director at Britain in Europe (2002–2004), and Head of Public Policy at the Waterfront Partnership (2004–2005).

McCarthy began a doctorate on Labour links with the City of London at Goldsmiths' College, but did not complete it. She was a councillor in Luton, and was a member of Labour's National Policy Forum.

In 2005, McCarthy was selected as the Labour candidate for Bristol East through an all-women shortlist and retained the seat for her party at the 2005 general election. She was appointed a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and was involved in its inquiries into financial inclusion, globalisation and the role of the International Monetary Fund, and the administration of tax credits. She has also sat on two Finance Bill committees, as well as the UK Borders Bill Committee, the Offender Management Bill Committee and the Mental Health Bill Committee. She was described as a Gordon Brown loyalist, stating in 2005 that "The Chancellor's nine Budgets are the bedrock of all that we have achieved in government".

In April 2007, McCarthy was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rosie Winterton, Minister for Health Services, and helped her steer the Mental Health Bill through the Commons. From July 2007 to January 2009, she worked as PPS to Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development, before being made a Junior Whip in June 2009. She is chair of the South West Group of Labour MP.

She was re-elected at the 2010 General Election, with her majority reduced by more than a half. McCarthy was appointed as an acting Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions in May 2010 with responsibility for disability. She supported Ed Balls in the 2010 Labour leadership election, and became a junior Shadow Treasury Minister following Ed Miliband's election in October 2010. In September 2011, McCarthy was made Shadow Foreign Office Minister with a responsibility for East Asia, South Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and human rights.

On World Vegan Day in November 2011, McCarthy became the first MP to set out in Parliament the case for becoming vegan. She is also believed to be the first MP to deliver a speech in Parliament with the aid of an iPad.