London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Miriam Cates is a British Conservative Party politician. She was elected to represent Penistone and Stockbridge in the 2019 general election. Apart from her parliamentary career, she was a teacher, a parish councilor, and the finance director of a technology consultancy. If you are inspired by the journey of Miriam and want to explore more about her, read below:
Bio & Early Life
Miriam Joy Cates was born on 23rd August 1982 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. She completed her schooling at King Edward VII School. While she has two younger brothers. Her father is a retired general practitioner and her mother is a housewife. From the age of 11, Miriam had an interest in politics and will regularly listen to the Today program on the radio.
She studied genetics at the University of Cambridge, followed by obtaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Sheffield Hallam University. Cates worked as a science teacher at Tapton School in Sheffield before becoming the finance director of Redemption Media. It is a technology consultancy that she co-owns with her husband.
Career In Politics
Miriam Cates was elected as the parish councilor for Oughtibridge Ward in 2015. She was re-elected in 2019 but resigned in 2021. Miriam was a Conservative candidate for Stannington Ward in the 2018 Sheffield City Council election and joined the party that same year. She finished third behind the Liberal Democrats with a good amount of votes.
A Conservative candidate for Penistone and Stocksbridge, Cates was elected on 24 October 2018. During the 2016 referendum, she supported the UK remaining a member of the EU. However, during the election campaign, she said she had changed her mind and supported Brexit. In the 2019 general election, Cates won with a majority of 7,210 (14.5%) on a swing of 8.6% from Labour to Conservatives.
Redemption Media, a company jointly owned by Cates and her husband, launched an app that was made available to food banks. Cates commented that the initial implementation of the application was free of charge. It has subsequently a set-up fee that was introduced to cover development and training costs.
Furthermore, they also received a complimentary subscription to JustGiving once they subscribed to the app. The first customer of the app was S6 Foodbank at St. Thomas’ Church which conducted pilots before its national launch. Moreover, Cates herself is connected with St. Thomas’ Church as a family member. He also served as the operations director of Network Church Sheffield from 2016 until 2018.
Entry Into the 1922 Committee
Currently, Cates is on the Ecclesiastical Committee and the Education Select Committee. She is also co-chair of the Stocksbridge Towns Fund with local developer Mark Dransfield. On 11 July 2022, she was elected to the 1922 Committee. Together with fellow Conservative MP Danny Kruger, Cates founded the New Social Covenant Unit in 2021. It was introduced to promote policies that would “strengthen families, communities, and the nation”.
She criticized the focus on protecting the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2021. An article for UnHerd argued that it only had a short-term impact on the “longevity of older people”. It also focused on “how lockdowns affect the lives of young people in the long run.”
Supporter Of Women’s Rights
In October 2021, Cates wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph. It argued that women’s rights were being undermined by the assertion that trans-women are also women. When asked about this in an interview with GB News, she clarified that she did not oppose individuals who had completed sex reassignment therapy. She believes they must have equal privileges, yet was against self-identification and gender fluidity. If all goes wrong it will be seen as a “danger” to females.
In November 2021, Cates voiced caution during a parliamentary session, urging schools to avoid calling upon LGBTQ rights charities. Stonewall or Mermaids will offer counseling services as they spread “hazardous, disputed extreme ideologies without any evidence behind them”
As a Conservative Party leader, Cates supported Suella Braverman in July 2022. In the subsequent Conservative leadership election in October 2022, Cates endorsed Rishi Sunak. Furthermore, he won the leadership contest and became Prime Minister, but resigned in October 2022.
Personal Life & Relationships
Miriam Cates is a Christian who lives in Oughtibridge. It is a village near Stocksbridge. She got married to Dave and is blessed with three children. You will be surprised to know that she met her husband while working at their church in Sheffield on voluntary projects. Her husband Dave is the managing director of the software company Redemption Media.
Moreover, he is the chairperson of the trust board overseeing Peak Edge Academy Trust. In most of her interviews, she discusses her Christian faith, becoming a Conservative as an adult almost by accident. She gives tips to inspiring politicians by taking on an unusual path. In any case, she believes that it is important to balance personal and professional life.
Net Worth
Miriam Cates is one of the most influential politicians. She has served as an MP and in other positions in her parliamentary career. During her early life, she worked as a teacher which offered her a good source of income. Her total net worth of Miriam happens to be around $5-$7 million. Usually, her expenses are high as she likes to follow a luxurious lifestyle.
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Political Views & Controversy
Miriam Cates has liberal political views and she talks about them in many of her interviews. During a controversy over schools, she gave an honest opinion about it. Here is what she has to say:
‘If we close schools now, we may reduce community transmission, we may reduce the number of people who end up in the hospital and die. Now, that’s a good thing to stop that from happening. But we know that will cause long-term harm to our children. Where’s the balance in that? There’s no scientific answer to that, that’s a moral answer. I think those are the kinds of questions that we need to be asking, going forward’’