The protective mother of Labour’s newest and youngest MP today defended him – and insisted he has ‘seen something of life’ – after branding him an inexperienced ‘inbetweener’ who robotically parrots party lines fed to him by Sir Keir Starmer and his cronies.
Jill Tambaros from Hull said she started screaming at midnight when her son Keir Mather won a huge majority in the Selby and Anstey by-election and admitted he could one day be prime minister.
Johnny Mercer wrote to him today, declaring: ‘You must have people who have actually done the stuff. This man has been more than a job at Oxford University.
But Keir’s mother insists part-time jobs in a cafe, a butcher’s van and selling street food as well as living off student loans will prepare her well for life in Parliament.
Describing what happened when the 25-year-old defeated the Tories to be named Labour’s first leader, Ms Tambaros said: ‘I screamed and put my head down. My Apple Watch went on the decibel scale’.
And in response to criticism that he spent more time at Oxford University than in the working world, he told Sky News: ‘He has seen something of life. He doesn’t look 25 – he’s confident, he’s mature, he’s got a good head on his shoulders.’
His proud mother added: ‘He’s got experience in Parliament and he’s also working with the CBI so he’s done a lot. He also did other jobs, like working in a cafe, selling paella on the street, cutting meat in a butcher’s van, so he saw something of life’.
Newly elected Labor MP Keir Mather (centre) with Labor Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Labor Party Leader Angela Rayner at Selby Football Club today.
Election winner and Labor Party candidate Keir Mather speaks at Selby Leisure Centre. His mother Jill spoke out today to defend his age and experience
Mr Mercer said the new MP (pictured) ‘had more than a job at Oxford University’.
As he referred to the cult TV series, Mr Mercer added: ‘We must not have a repeat of The Inbetweeners.’
Keir Mather graduated from Oxford University just four years ago before landing his first job as a party researcher for Wes Streeting, who is now shadow health secretary. He recently served as a Senior Public Affairs Advisor to the CBI.
‘And living on a student grant is pretty hard too so you really have to budget, so it’s not like he’s never done anything, so I think he’s got a lot to give. ‘
When asked if he can become the prime minister one day, he said, ‘Why not? Never say no. He’s 25 years old, he’s been really great so far, so what’s stopping him from getting better? He has plenty of time to do that.’
His stepfather George Tambaros, nicknamed ‘Gorgeous George’ by friends, appeared on Come Dine With Me in 2015.
The 25-year-old New Labor MP was named after his party’s first leader by his left-wing parents.
Mr Mather, the son of two Hall teachers, is an Oxford graduate who was parachuted into Selby in June. His candidacy in Selby was supported by the GMB and Unison unions.
The links to the Labor leader don’t end there, Mr Mather was named after Scottish trade unionist and Labor Party founder Keir Hardy – just like Mr Starmer.
MailOnline can reveal that her stepfather George Tambaros, nicknamed ‘Gorgeous George’ by friends, appeared on Come Dine With Me in 2015. He ran a restaurant called The Omelet.
In 2008 he pleaded guilty to five breaches of health and safety laws and paid a £6,250 fine, after a teenage worker had to have a skin graft on her leg after she tripped over a 350C pan of hot cooking oil left carelessly on the kitchen floor.
Now Mr. Tambaros works in real estate.
Mr Mather is gay and says artist and East Yorkshire local hero David Hockney is his ‘gay icon’. He supports rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers and is a regular at sports matches.
Labour’s newest and youngest MP is set to be the ‘baby’ of the House of Commons after winning a majority in the Selby and Anstey by-elections last night.
But the 25-year-old, the first MP born since Tony Blair became prime minister, derided Tory minister Johnny Mercer as ‘a repeat of The Inbetweeners’.
Mr Mercer said the history and politics graduate ‘was more than his job at Oxford University’ and warned he should not expect a warm welcome from the Conservative benches at Westminster.
He also suggested the Hull-born politician, who most recently worked as a public affairs adviser to the Confederation of British Industry, was ‘unproven’. Mr Mercer claims he ‘only relays the Labor line’ and has ‘a Labor chip’ in him.
Mr Mather is a sports fan
Twenty-five-year-old Keir Mather is set to be the ‘baby’ of the House of Commons after winning the Selby and Anstey by-election for Labour. Johnny Mercer, the senior minister, swiped that Mr Mather ‘just relays the Labor line’ and has ‘a Labor chip’ in him.
Mr Mather is named after Keir Hardy, as is Labor leader Keir Starmer
Mr Mather, who shares the same name as current Labor leader Keir Starmer – first named after Labor leader Keir Hardy – studied at Oxford between 2016 and 2019 before spending a year as a researcher for Mr Streeting.
Asked by Sky News if he was looking forward to a fresh injection of youth in the Commons, Mr Mercer said: ‘It’s always good to have new people in politics.’
But, as he referred to the cult TV series, he added: ‘We must not have a repeat of The Inbetweeners. You have to have people who have actually done the stuff.
‘This man has been more than a job at Oxford University. You put a chip in him and he just relays the labor line. The problem is that people have enough of that.
‘They want people who are authentic, who have worked in that constituency, who know what life is like, who understand what life is like, working in the community and raising a family.
‘So, no, I’m afraid I don’t agree with this politics. This is exactly why people like me didn’t vote before the 2015 election.
‘Because you just exclude people who have nothing to do with the constituency and put a chip in them, and they start parroting Labor Party politics.’
Shortly after being declared the winner in Selby and Anstey in North Yorkshire, Mr Mather said he hoped to be ‘representative of the power that young people have to make a difference’.
Asked if he fully understands voters’ concerns at 25, he said: ‘Well, I’m a taxpayer, I feel the pressure like anybody else.’
The Tories lost another huge majority in Selby and Anstey as Labor took the North Yorkshire seat by more than 4,000 votes.
But the Tory majorities in Somerton and Frome collapsed as the Lib Dems won the by-election by 11,000 votes.
The Conservatives are clinging to Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London by less than 500 votes to avoid a complete by-election wipeout.
Sir Kiir said Mr Mather’s victory demonstrated a ‘demand for change’. He tweeted: ‘Congratulations Keir Mather, Labour’s new MP for Selby and Anstey!
‘Last night, Selby and Anstey made history. This incredible result shows how strong the demand for change is. Only Labor can make that change, and build a better Britain.’
New Labor MP Keir Mather joked that he had ‘heard a lot of bad’ when asked how he felt about being ‘the baby of the House’.
He will become the youngest MP in the Commons, overturning the Tories’ 20,137 majority in the Yorkshire seat.
In a speech after he was declared the by-election winner, Mr Mather said he ‘realised the enormity of what had just happened’.
‘We have rewritten the rules of where Labor can win. People have opened their doors to us and embraced our positive outlook for the future,’ he said.
‘The people of Selby and Anstey have sent a clear message. For too long, the Conservatives have failed us here and in Westminster, and today that changes.
‘Over the past few months, I have had a lot of trouble talking to hundreds of people on doorsteps. The suffering has been made worse by 13 years of neglect and complacency from the Conservatives.’
During the count at Selby Leisure Centre, Mr Mather told reporters: ‘As a young person in politics, I really hope to be representative of the power that young people have to make a difference.’
Labor candidate Keir Mather says his age doesn’t mean he can’t understand the lives of voters
Mr Mather said his first priority would be setting up financial assistance centers in constituencies, where people can get specialist help on a range of issues including mortgage payments and energy bills.
He told reporters he supported Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of capping the two-child benefit, saying: ‘I think we’re going to inherit a complete economic mess from the Conservatives when we take power and once we do we’ll have to make very difficult decisions, and I support the Labor government to do that.’
Mr Mather said the cost-of-living crisis was the number one issue during the campaign.
Asked whether people were voting Labor or against the Tories, he said: ‘Well, I make no bones about it, I think local residents were very disappointed with the way the Conservative MP (Nigel Adams) resigned, but they only voted Labor to the extent that they knew we had a plan that would actually address their concerns.’
Defeated Conservative candidate Claire Holmes left the venue without speaking to reporters after Mr Mather’s speech.
Labor said Mr Mather was born in Hull and grew up near Selby before moving to Oxford.
The party said he recently served as senior public affairs advisor to the CBI.
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