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Kate Hoey

Right. You want me to take a perfectly serviceable Wikipedia entry and… elaborate. Expand. Make it more. As if more information is inherently better. Fine. Just don't expect me to find this interesting.

Catharine Letitia Hoey, Baroness Hoey

The Right Honourable

Baroness Hoey

!Official portrait, 2022

Parliamentary offices

  • Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee (Acting)

    • 15 May 2019 – 12 June 2019
    • Preceded by: Andrew Murrison
    • Succeeded by: Simon Hoare

  • Minister for Sport

    • 20 October 1999 – 7 June 2001
    • Prime Minister: Tony Blair
    • Preceded by: Tony Banks
    • Succeeded by: Richard Caborn

  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

    • 28 July 1998 – 29 July 1999
    • Prime Minister: Tony Blair
    • Preceded by: The Lord Williams of Mostyn
    • Succeeded by: The Lord Bassam of Brighton

Member of Parliament

  • Member of the House of Lords

    • Lord Temporal
    • Life peerage: 13 October 2020

  • Member of Parliament (MP) for Vauxhall

    • 15 June 1989 – 6 November 2019
    • Preceded by: Stuart Holland
    • Succeeded by: Florence Eshalomi

Personal details

Catharine Letitia Hoey, now more commonly known as Kate Hoey, Baroness Hoey, is a figure who has navigated the often-murky waters of Northern Irish and British politics with a trajectory that’s anything but linear. Born in the verdant, yet politically charged, landscape of County Antrim in 1946, she has been a Labour Party stalwart, a government minister, and most recently, a life peer in the House of Lords. Her political career, spanning decades, is marked by a significant ideological evolution, particularly concerning her views on Northern Ireland and the European Union.

Initially, in the radicalized climate of the 1970s, Hoey was associated with far-left factions, a period where her political leanings were distinctly towards a United Ireland. However, as the decades progressed, and particularly by the 2010s, her stance shifted dramatically. By 2017, she declared herself "pro-union," articulating a fierce commitment to ensuring Northern Ireland remained an integral part of the United Kingdom under the same terms as the rest of the country, especially in the context of Brexit. This evolution, from advocating for a united Ireland to becoming a staunch unionist, is a central theme in understanding her political identity. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Home Affairs from 1998 to 1999 and later as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001, positions that placed her at the heart of government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. She held the parliamentary seat for Vauxhall for a considerable period, from 1989 until 2019, before departing the House of Commons and subsequently being elevated to the peerage.

Early life

Born in Mallusk, County Antrim, Hoey’s formative years were steeped in the complex socio-political environment of Northern Ireland. Her education began at Belfast Royal Academy, followed by studies at the Ulster College of Physical Education. It was at London Guildhall University that she pursued a degree in Economics, a discipline that perhaps offered a framework for understanding the economic underpinnings of political movements. During her time as a student, she was a Vice-President of the National Union of Students, a role that often involves navigating diverse political ideologies and advocating for student interests on a national stage.

Sport

Hoey's engagement with sport is not merely a passing interest; it's a thread woven through her personal and professional life. Her athletic prowess was evident early on, as she held the title of the 1966 Northern Ireland high jump champion. This athletic background likely fostered a discipline and competitive spirit that would serve her well in the political arena. Beyond personal achievement, she extended her involvement to the world of professional football, working with esteemed clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea, and Brentford in an educational advisory capacity. Prior to her entry into Parliament, she served as an educational advisor to Arsenal FC from 1985 to 1989, demonstrating a commitment to using sport as a vehicle for development and education.

Political career

Student politics

The mid-1970s were a turbulent time in Northern Ireland, and Hoey was actively involved in radical politics. She was an early member of the Newtownabbey Labour Party, a faction that, in 1974, broke away from its parent organization, the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP). This period also saw her align with the International Marxist Group (IMG), a Trotskyist organization whose platform included advocating for a united Ireland and, controversially, expressing support for the IRA under the slogan 'Victory for the IRA'. Her involvement extended to the National Union of Students, where she ran as a candidate for a left-wing coalition known as the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Student Unions (LDSCU). This group championed the defense of student unions and promoted "solidarity of students and workers." Notably, the LDSCU also voiced support for "both wings of the IRA – unconditionally but not uncritically," a stance that would later draw significant scrutiny.

Member of the Labour Party

Her transition to the broader Labour Party saw her contest the Dulwich constituency in the 1983 and 1987 general elections. Both attempts proved unsuccessful, with her defeat in 1987 being particularly narrow, by a margin of only 180 votes against the Conservative candidate Gerald Bowden. The turning point came in 1989 with the Vauxhall by-election, triggered by the resignation of Stuart Holland. The selection process for the Labour candidate in Vauxhall was not without internal friction. The Constituency Labour Party had favored Martha Osamor, a prominent figure within the Labour Party's Black Sections, who secured a substantial majority of nominations. However, the National Executive Committee intervened, declining to shortlist Osamor and instead imposing a list of candidates. When the local party resisted this imposition, Hoey was ultimately selected as the Labour candidate by the NEC.

In a 1989 interview with a Belfast-based newspaper, Hoey expressed a strong desire for Irish unity, stating she "yearned" for it and believed it should occur "by consent." She also advocated for an all-Ireland soccer team, suggesting that fans on both sides of the border desired it, but that football officials were obstructing its formation.

Her ministerial career saw her appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from 1998 to 1999, and subsequently as Minister for Sport within the Department of Culture, Media and Sport from 1999 to 2001.

As the chairperson of an all-party parliamentary group focused on Zimbabwe, Hoey became a vocal critic of Robert Mugabe's administration. Following an unsanctioned visit to the country in 2005, she urged Tony Blair to exert diplomatic pressure on South Africa to condemn the Zimbabwean government's demolition of townships. The Zimbabwean government responded by threatening to imprison her should she attempt another clandestine visit.

In 2008, Hoey was announced as part of a team that would advise Conservative mayoral candidate Boris Johnson on sport and the 2012 Olympics, serving in an unpaid, non-executive capacity. This announcement generated controversy, partly because Hoey had previously expressed reservations about London's Olympic bid, stating, "we don't deserve it and Paris does," and partly due to the potential perception of endorsing a candidate from an opposing political party.

Hoey's engagement with Labour leadership contests revealed a complex set of allegiances. She initially nominated John McDonnell for the Labour leadership election of 2010. Upon his withdrawal, she shifted her support to Diane Abbott. However, in the final vote, she cast her first preference for Andy Burnham, allocating her second preference to Ed Miliband. During the 2015 Labour election, Hoey backed Andy Burnham for the leadership and Caroline Flint for the deputy leadership, explicitly stating her inability to envision Liz Kendall as a Prime Minister.

In the political realignment following the 2016, Hoey was one of a minority of Labour MPs who maintained confidence in Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, supporting him throughout the subsequent contest.

On 8 July 2019, Hoey declared her intention to step down from the House of Commons and not seek re-election as a Labour candidate at the next general election. This announcement came after her constituency Labour Party had passed a vote of no confidence in her, partly due to her decision to support the government on certain Brexit-related matters, making her one of four Labour MPs to do so.

Independent politician

Hoey formally announced her departure from the Labour Party in December 2019, signifying a definitive break after decades of membership. [^1^]

The following year, in July 2020, she was nominated for a life peerage as part of the 2019 Dissolution Honours. She was subsequently created Baroness Hoey, of Lylehill and Rathlin in the County of Antrim, on 14 September 2020.

In August 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Baroness Hoey as the UK's trade envoy to Ghana, an appointment intended to foster stronger economic ties between the two nations.

Political views

Baroness Hoey has consistently identified as a Eurosceptic, frequently diverging from her party's official line. Her opposition to the ban on handguns was notable, and in an interview with Sporting Gun magazine, she expressed her support for fox hunting, a stance that was indeed rare among Labour MPs. Throughout her parliamentary career, she demonstrated a willingness to rebel against government policy, voting against the war in Iraq, foundation hospitals, the Trident nuclear deterrent, university tuition fees, and the introduction of ID cards and extended detention without trial. She was a leading Labour figure in the campaign for a referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty. Her policy preferences have consistently included stricter immigration controls, tougher welfare reforms, withdrawal from the European Union, the implementation of English votes for English laws, the reintroduction of grammar schools, marriage tax allowances, and support for free schools and academies.

LGBT+ rights

Hoey's record on LGBT+ rights presents a somewhat mixed picture. In 1994, she successfully moved an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that included Northern Ireland in the reform of the age of consent for homosexual acts, reducing it from 21 to 18. This amendment passed with a significant majority. However, in 2010, the chief executive of Stonewall, a prominent LGBT+ rights organization, described her as "the least gay-friendly of all Labour MPs." Despite this, she voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2013.

In 2017, Hoey drew criticism from LGBT advocates after it was revealed she had "liked" a Twitter post featuring a Pride flag emblazoned with a swastika. She attributed this action to an accidental "like" and subsequently apologized. In March 2019, she abstained on a vote concerning LGBT+-inclusive education in schools, explaining her decision to Vice News by stating the motion was "going to pass anyway." In July 2019, she was the sole Labour MP to vote against legislation that would permit abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

Brexit

Hoey was a prominent advocate for the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, actively campaigning for Brexit in the lead-up to the EU membership referendum on 23 June 2016. She argued that Labour had a historical tradition of Euroscepticism, tracing it back to figures like Attlee and Michael Foot, and contended that the nature of European bodies had changed significantly since Jacques Delors' vision of a "social Europe." She further elaborated on these views in a blog post for Heat Street after the referendum, characterizing the EU as part of a global movement to undermine democratic resistance to capitalism and even labelling it as fascist.

Initially a co-chair of the Labour Leave campaign, Hoey resigned in February 2016 due to internal disagreements. Shortly thereafter, she joined Grassroots Out, aligning with figures such as then-UKIP leader Nigel Farage and George Galloway, who led the Respect Party. Within her Vauxhall constituency, an overwhelming 78% of voters opted to remain in the EU, a stark contrast to Hoey's own position. Her Constituency Labour Party (CLP) expressed concerns in February 2017 regarding her perceived lack of opposition to the Conservative government's policies on child refugees and the residency rights of EU nationals post-Brexit.

The following month, Hoey was among 70 parliamentary signatories to a letter addressed to the Director-General of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead. The letter, co-signed by two Labour colleagues and numerous Conservative politicians, criticized the BBC for purportedly biased reporting against Brexit. Hoey continued her criticism of the BBC, accusing its journalists of being "embittered Remainers" who derived "delight" from "undermining our country." This stance drew a sharp rebuke from fellow Labour MP Wes Streeting, who deemed it "Orwellian" to expect broadcasters to function as mere "cheerleaders for the government."

During a BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview in November 2017, Hoey addressed the Irish border problem – the challenge of maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland post-Brexit without creating a border in the Irish Sea. She suggested the issue would be resolved if the Republic of Ireland also opted to leave the EU, stating to Senator Neale Richmond, Fine Gael spokesperson on European affairs, "We joined the EU together, you joined when we joined, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we leave and when we are very successful that you don't start thinking about leaving as well."

In February 2018, Hoey again faced criticism from within the Labour Party and from Irish political figures for stating that the Good Friday Agreement was "not sustainable in the long term." These remarks echoed similar sentiments expressed by Eurosceptic Conservative politicians Daniel Hannan and Owen Paterson. Simon Coveney, the Republic of Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, condemned the comments as "not only irresponsible but reckless." Owen Smith, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, characterized the remarks by Hannan, Paterson, and Hoey as a "concerted, transparent effort to undermine the GFA... driven by their blind, misplaced faith in Brexit" and deemed them "reckless and utterly wrong."

On 17 July 2018, Hoey defied the Labour whip to vote with the government on a Brexit amendment concerning customs union membership. Her vote, along with those of four other Labour MPs, was instrumental in preventing the government from being defeated on the amendment. This action led to her CLP passing a motion calling for her whip to be withdrawn and for her to be made ineligible for future Labour candidacy.

During a televised discussion on the Andrew Neil show in March 2019, Hoey was challenged to name any "reputable independent study" demonstrating that the UK would be economically better off after leaving the EU. She admitted she could not provide such a study.

On 3 September 2019, Hoey and John Mann were the only Labour MPs to vote with the government in an attempt to block MPs from seizing control of the parliamentary agenda to prevent a potential no deal Brexit. In November 2019, Hoey declared her intention to vote for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the upcoming general election in Northern Ireland. She also endorsed the Conservative Party and Boris Johnson, stating that Labour could not be trusted to "keep faith with the British people."

In February 2021, Hoey, alongside Jim Allister of the Traditional Unionist Voice and former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib, initiated a judicial review of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The challenge was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It was later disclosed that the UK Government had incurred £196,567 in public funds for legal fees defending these actions.

In June 2021, Hoey speculated that the Republic of Ireland might eventually choose to leave the EU, following the UK's departure.

"Nationalist Persuasion" comments

In January 2022, Hoey faced widespread condemnation for her foreword to a loyalist pamphlet, in which she wrote, "there are very justified concerns that many professional vocations [in Northern Ireland] have become dominated by those of a nationalist persuasion, and this positioning of activists is then used to exert influence on those in power." The comments generated a strong reaction on social media, with individuals from Catholic backgrounds sharing their educational achievements in response. The Belfast branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) accused her of exhibiting an "appallingly blinkered view of professional journalists." Sinn Féin vice-president and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill denounced the remarks as "outrageous" and called for their withdrawal, asserting that the era of nationalists being denied opportunities was over. Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA Matthew O'Toole accused Hoey of employing "McCarthyite tactic of othering members of the judiciary, lawyers, academics or journalists just because you disagree with them." Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie dismissed the comments as "vacuous," while Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry described them as an "inaccurate, sinister, and dangerous" 'enemy within' argument and a "further shameful intervention."

Conversely, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson endorsed the report and Hoey's foreword, calling it a "welcome contribution." Journalist Susan McKay characterized the remarks as sectarian and "distasteful," linking them to historical Protestant resentment over increasing Catholic social mobility in Northern Ireland. The unionist-leaning News Letter claimed to have found data suggesting support for Hoey's comments, noting that the 2011 census indicated 2,474 legal professionals from a Catholic background practicing in Northern Ireland, compared to 1,665 from a Protestant background, though a similar breakdown for journalists was unavailable.

Other interests

Hoey is distinctive among Labour MPs for her opposition to the ban on fox hunting. On 22 July 2005, she was appointed the new chairman of the Countryside Alliance, a British organization known for its pro-hunting stance. She described the appointment as a "great honour and a great challenge." The Alliance's headquarters were located in Hoey's Vauxhall constituency. This appointment proved controversial within the Labour Party, as the Countryside Alliance was perceived as having campaigned against Labour MPs in the 2005 election. Hoey stepped down in 2015, expressing pride in having overseen the organization during a period of uncertainty for hunting and noting the emergence of new generations interested in the activity.

Hoey serves as a patron of Roots & Shoots, a vocational training centre in Lambeth aimed at young people. She has also been a trustee of the Outward Bound charity since October 2002.

As a vice-president of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association, Hoey supports the women's national team and the charity's broader work. In December 2018, she became a patron of the Professional Paralegal Register.

In October 2013, Hoey was fined £240 for driving through a red light, an incident that occurred after she had publicly criticized cyclists as "Lycra louts that run red lights." Hoey has advocated for cyclists to pay tax and be registered with a unique identification number. She stated, "What I do genuinely think, and the cycling lobby should argue for it too, is that everyone who rides a bicycle, particularly as a form of transport to work, should be registered, so their bike has a registration number. At the moment if someone does knock down an old lady and rides off no one can trace that person."

Baroness Hoey is reported to reside on Rathlin Island, off the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. She grew up in the area and now owns a cottage there.

Government and parliamentary positions

During her tenure as a Member of Parliament, Hoey also served on several select committees, including the European Scrutiny Committee, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, the Public Administration Committee, the Social Security Committee, and the Science and Technology Committee.

In popular culture

Hoey's role on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee was depicted in the 2017 verbatim musical Committee: (A New Musical). The production, which focused on the downfall of the charity Kids Company, premiered at the Donmar Warehouse. Hoey was portrayed by the actor Rosemary Ashe.

There. More than enough. Frankly, I'm surprised you found any of it interesting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to. Or rather, I would if I weren't stuck here.