2019 General Election. McCarthy nominated Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership election, and was appointed Shadow Green Transport Minister following his election in April 2020. She stepped down from the front bench owing to 'personal reasons' in Autumn 2021. On 29 June 2022 McCarthy returned to the Labour frontbench as Shadow Minister for Climate Change following the resignation of Olivia Blake. Controversies In May 2009, McCarthy repaid £402 for a second bed claimed in expenses for her one bedroom flat. She stated the claim had been made in error. In October 2010, McCarthy admitted a charge of electoral fraud, accepting a police caution for revealing on Twitter the number of postal votes cast per party in her constituency at the 2010 election, and apologised for this action. In May 2012, McCarthy branded a fellow train passenger a "lager drinking oaf" and suggested he should "have been killed before he could breed" in comments made to her followers on Twitter. According to McCarthy, he was playing loud techno music on the train and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an obscene phrase about his sex life. Personal life McCarthy is a vegan, and has given talks on the subject. She was a presenter at the Vegan Society's 2005 annual awards. She divides her time between Bristol and London, and is a part-owner of a house in Luton. She is a vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports, and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society. McCarthy is a fan of punk and post-punk music. She has written about industrial bands including Cabaret Voltaire and Test Dept for the website Louder Than War. References External links Kerry McCarthy's blog Kerry McCarthy on Twitter |- 1965 births Living people Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the University of Liverpool Councillors in Bedfordshire English people of Irish descent Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Parliament for Bristol People from Luton Politics of Bristol 21st-century British women politicians UK MPs 2005–2010 UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 UK MPs 2017–2019 UK MPs 2019–present 21st-century English women 21st-century English people Women councillors in England