Peter Kyle

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For the Scottish footballer, see Peter Kyle (footballer).

Peter Kyle
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Assumed office
4 September 2023
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byOffice established
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office
29 November 2021 – 4 September 2023
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byLouise Haigh
Succeeded byHilary Benn
Shadow Minister for Schools
In office
14 May 2021 – 29 November 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byWes Streeting
Succeeded byStephen Morgan
Shadow Minister for Victims and Youth Justice
In office
9 April 2020 – 14 May 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAnna McMorrin
Member of Parliament
for Hove
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byMike Weatherley
Majority17,044 (30.2%)
Personal details
Born (1970-09-09) 9 September 1970 (age 53)
West Sussex, England
Political partyLabour
EducationFelpham Comprehensive School,[1] West Sussex
Alma materUniversity of Sussex
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Academic background
ThesisBuilding capacity for community economic development: the case of the Kat river valley, South Africa (2004)

Peter Kyle (born 9 September 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hove since 2015. He has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since 2023.[2]

Early life and career

Peter Kyle was born on 9 September 1970 and grew up in West Sussex, where he was educated at Felpham Comprehensive School (now Felpham Community College), near Bognor Regis.[3] It was at school that he found out he had dyslexia and left school, in his own words, "without any usable qualifications".[3] By the age of 25, he was accepted on his third attempt to become a student at the University of Sussex,[3] where he gained a degree in geography, international development and environmental studies, and later a doctorate in community development.

He worked as an aid worker in Eastern Europe and the Balkans helping young people whose lives had been affected by the political instability created by war.[4]

In 2006, Kyle became a Cabinet Office special advisor focusing on social exclusion policy.

From 2007 to 2013, he was deputy chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). In 2013, he became chief executive of Working for Youth, a newly formed charity focusing on helping unemployed youth.[5]

Parliamentary career

At the 2015 general election, Kyle was elected to Parliament as MP for Hove with 42.3% of the vote and a majority of 1,236.[6][7][8]

Kyle backed Liz Kendall in the 2015 Labour leadership election,[9] and supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election.[10]

Kyle sat on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee between 2016 and 2020. In May 2016, he questioned Mike Ashley, boss of Sports Direct, over poor working practices in his warehouses. Ashley accused Kyle of making "defamatory comments" against him and called for the MP to stand down from the committee.[11]

He campaigned for remain during the 2016 Brexit referendum.[12]

Kyle has championed apprenticeships,[13] pledging in August 2016 to create 1,000 apprenticeships in 1,000 days in co-operation with the council and via the creation of a Greater Brighton Employer Skills Task Force.[14]

Kyle was re-elected as MP for Hove at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 64.1% and an increased majority of 18,757.[15][16][17]

In May 2018 Kyle called for the voting age to be lowered to 16 and put forward his own bill.[18]

In March 2019, alongside fellow Labour MP Phil Wilson, Kyle put forward an amendment to Theresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.[19] Dubbed the "Kyle-Wilson" amendment, it aimed to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on the condition that the deal on offer would go back to the British people through a confirmatory vote.[20] Whilst failing to pass twice in the House of Commons, it came 12 votes short on its second attempt.[21] Both Kyle and Wilson signalled that they would bring back the amendment if Boris Johnson were to return with a Brexit deal in October 2019.[22] Alongside deputy leader Tom Watson, Kyle advocated for this position to become Labour policy.[23][24][25]

At the 2019 general election, Kyle was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 58.3% and a decreased majority of 17,044.[26][27][28]

Following Labour's defeat in the 2019 general election, Kyle urged Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign, saying that the loss was not related to Labour's position on Brexit but rather to Corbyn's incompetent leadership.[29]

Kyle endorsed Jess Phillips in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[30]

In September 2020, Kyle was appointed a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel.[31]

In September 2022, he spoke in favour of Labour accepting Brexit and presenting a "positive vision for a better Britain" outside of the European Union.[32]

Shadow Minister for Victims and Youth Justice

In April 2020, he became the Shadow Minister for Victims and Youth Justice.[33] He has campaigned on the issue of 'sex for rent' and demanded a change to the law for landlords who engage in sexual exploitation of tenants.[34]

In February 2021,[35] Kyle presented a bill for victims to Parliament which had the aims of:

  • Ensuring victims are read their rights at the same time as perpetrators
  • Creating a register for people who run departments in the justice system which routinely ignore victims' rights
  • Giving victims of persistent anti-social behaviour the same rights as victims of crimes
  • Making the Victims' Commissioner independent of government and able to launch their own investigations.[36][37]

Shadow Minister for Schools

In a minor Labour reshuffle in May 2021, Kyle was promoted to succeed Wes Streeting as the Shadow Minister for Schools.[38]

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary

He was appointed Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary in the November 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.[39]

Personal life

From 2016 to 2017 Kyle was chair of governors of Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.[40][41]

He is openly gay,[42][43] and for eight years he was in a relationship with Vlastimil Tiser, until Tiser's death in 2012.[44]

References

  1. ^ Harry Bullmore (28 October 2019). "Peter Kyle reveals he has dyslexia after abuse over spelling". The Argus. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Labour reshuffle live: Angela Rayner gets new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles team". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Harry Bullmore (28 October 2019). "Peter Kyle reveals he has dyslexia after abuse over spelling". The Argus. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Hove MP shares his experience of working in aid camps in Commons debate". Brighton and Hove News. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ^ Ainsworth, David (5 August 2013). "Peter Kyle to leave Acevo later this year". Third Sector. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Election results for Hove". city council web site. Brighton & Hove Council. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Dr Peter Kyle Selected As Labour's Parliamentary Candidate For Hove and Portslade". Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn would be an "electoral disaster" for the Labour party says Hove MP". The Argus. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  11. ^ Armstrong, Ashley (23 May 2016). "Mike Ashley: MP must resign from Sports Direct inquiry". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Peter Kyle: Brexit is a big deal – but it is not a done deal". LabourList. 25 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Peter Kyle: Championing apprenticeships in Hove and Portslade". Brighton & Hove Independent. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  14. ^ "1,000 Apprenticeships | Brighton & Hove City Council". brighton-hove.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  15. ^ "General election latest – 14 candidates stand for the three seats in Brighton and Hove". Brighton and Hove News. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Electoral Calculus Flat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBP-7979 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Kyle, Peter. "Representation of the People (Young People's Enfranchisement) Bill 2017-19". Parliament UK.
  19. ^ "What is the Kyle-Wilson amendment that could deliver a fresh Brexit referendum?". The Independent. 2 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  20. ^ Kyle, Wilson, Peter, Phil (17 March 2019). "Only our Compromise can Break the Brexit Impasse". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "Peter Kyle's motion E (Confirmatory public vote)". Commons Votes. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  22. ^ Fraser, Tali (21 September 2019). "Labour MPs vow to revive Commons push for a second referendum in bid to end Brexit 'crisis'". Politics Home.
  23. ^ Stewart, Heather (24 February 2019). Tom Watson urges Corbyn to get a grip on Labour 'crisis'. The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  24. ^ Jeremy Corbyn inching closer to backing a second referendum. The Guardian (21 February 2019). Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  25. ^ Bust-up as Jeremy Corbyn's number two Tom Watson walks out of shadow cabinet over second Brexit referendum. Evening Standard (30 April 2019). Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  26. ^ Raw, Geoff (14 November 2019). "Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll. Election of a Member of Parliament for Hove Constituency" (PDF). Brighton and Hove City Council.
  27. ^ "Historical Data and Plots".
  28. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  29. ^ Bullmore, Harry (14 December 2019). Peter Kyle urges Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to stand down. The Argus. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  30. ^ "Peter Kyle on Twitter: "Jess... can count on my nomination"". Twitter. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  31. ^ Harpin, Lee (9 September 2020). "Labour Friends of Israel announces six new vice-chairs". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  32. ^ "Labour can't win election with Brexit negativity, shadow minister says". BBC News. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  33. ^ Rogers, Sienna (9 April 2020). "Shadow ministers appointed as Starmer completes frontbench". LabourList. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Sex-For-Rent: Landlords named and shamed in newspaper sting". Landlord Today. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Victims of Crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Etc (Rights, Entitlements and Related Matters) - Tuesday 9 February 2021 - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  36. ^ "Victims of Crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Etc (Rights, Entitlements and Related Matters) Bill 2019-21 — UK Parliament". services.parliament.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Victims of crimes 're-traumatised' by system". BBC News. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  38. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (14 May 2021). "Reshuffle: Keir Starmer's new Labour frontbench in full". LabourList. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  39. ^ "Peter Kyle profile: NI's new Shadow Secretary replacing Louise Haigh an advocate for dyslexia and EU supporter". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Brighton Aldridge Community Academy - Section 13 - Governors' Information and Duties". www.baca-uk.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  41. ^ le Duc, Frank (12 July 2017). "MP steps down as chair of governors at Brighton school". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  42. ^ Ben Riley-Smith (14 May 2015). "Commons has more gay MPs than any other parliament in the world". Daily Telegraph.
  43. ^ Leftly, Mark (20 February 2016). "Gay MPs: The photograph that shows Westminster's attitude towards LGBT politicians is changing". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  44. ^ Thomson, Alice (28 September 2023). "Peter Kyle: It was 5am. A woman said, 'Your partner is dead.'". The Times. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Kyle (politician).
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Hove
2015–present 		Incumbent
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