Catherine West has named as parliamentary under secretary of state at Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Labour MPs Catherine West and David Lammy — Catherine West (left) with Tottenham MP David Lammy, who is now her boss at the Foreign Office

One of Barnet’s MPs has been named as a junior minister as Keir Starmer continues to appoint his new government.

Catherine West, the MP for the new seat of Hornsey and Friern Barnet, has been appointed as parliamentary under secretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She had served as the shadow minister for Asia and the Pacific from December 2021 until the general election.

West was first elected as MP for Hornsey and Wood Green in 2015. The new seat, including the Friern Barnet council ward, was contested for the first time at last week’s election following boundary changes.

West is the second Barnet MP to be given a ministerial role after Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman was appointed as Solicitor General yesterday.

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