Meet Wellingborough's new MP - The story behind Labour's Gen Kitchen

After Wellingborough took to the polls to vote for a new MP on Thursday (February 15), Gen Kitchen of the Labour Party emerged victorious in what was a historic victory for the party.

The votes were counted and verified at Kettering Leisure Village with the winner announced on Friday morning, the result confirming that Gen Kitchen is the first female Wellingborough MP in history.

When we spoke to her in December during the announcement of her pledges, she said: “I always wanted to represent the community that I grew up in, I just didn’t think it would be so soon."

Her journey into politics – and now into Parliament – began at 10 years old, recalling memories of going to the polling station with her mum during the 2005 election.

Gen took that curiosity to higher education and completed an undergraduate degree in history and politics at Queen Mary University of London in 2016.

She represented Northamptonshire county at the Commonwealth Youth Summit, and stood against Andrea Leadsom for the South Northamptonshire seat in the 2019 general election, receiving 20.9 per cent of the vote. Gen, 28, has also spent time as a senior councillor in London, and worked for national charities as a fundraising manager.

She won the Wellingborough by-election by a majority of 6,346, the second biggest Conservative to Labour swing since the Second World War.

Now that Gen has been elected as Wellingborough’s new MP, she says work will begin on her key pledges, which include addressing the issue of knife crime, tackling town centre regeneration and fixing potholes.

Gen was ‘delighted’ to be elected, and in her first address after the result she said: “I’m honoured that local people have place their trust in me and the Labour Party under Keir Starmer.

“But I also know from the thousands of conversations I’ve had during this campaign how desperately people want change and a fresh start.

“The people of Wellingborough have spoken for Britain, this is a stunning victory for the Labour Party, and must send a message from Northamptonshire, to Downing Street.

“I ran a positive campaign built on both the local issues that people told me need addressing here, as well as the national desire for change.”

The first order of business, though?

“A large glass of wine!”