Kate Kniveton Explained

Kate Kniveton
Office2:Member of Parliament
for Burton
Predecessor2:Andrew Griffiths
Successor2:Jacob Collier
Term Start2:12 December 2019
Term End2:30 May 2024
Birth Name:Kate Elizabeth Kniveton
Birth Date:1971
Birth Place:Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England
Nationality:English
Education:Derby High School, Derbyshire
Party:Conservative
Alma Mater:University of Exeter

Kate Elizabeth Kniveton[1] (previously Griffiths; born 1971)[2] is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Burton in Staffordshire between 2019 and 2024. She is a member of the Conservative Party. She was elected to Parliament under her married name of Griffiths but reverted to using her maiden name in 2022.[3]

Early life and career

Kate Elizabeth Kniveton was born in Burton upon Trent.[4] She was privately educated at St. Wystan's School in Repton and Derby High School, before studying classics at the University of Exeter. She worked for five years as the corporate hospitality coordinator for the football club Burton Albion FC.[5]

Political career

After her ex-husband, Andrew, stood for reselection as the Conservative candidate for Burton in the 2019 general election, Kniveton stood against him but the vote ended in a tie.[6] He then withdrew his candidacy rather than face a second vote in which he would face other candidates including his estranged wife. She was selected in the subsequent contest.[7] [8] Her campaign focused on promises on local issues such as investment in the local area's high streets, and national issues including Brexit.[9] She also pledged to be an advocate for domestic abuse survivors.

Kniveton was elected as MP for Burton at the 2019 general election with a majority of 14,496 and 60.7% of the vote.[10] Kniveton opposed the proposed MP pay rise in 2020, which was eventually scrapped.[11] She lost her seat in the 2024 general election.

Personal life

Kniveton married Burton MP Andrew Griffiths in 2013.[12] They had a daughter in 2018.[13] He resigned as the small businesses minister and was suspended from the Conservative Party after The Sunday Mirror reported that he had sent up to 2,000 sexually explicit text messages over a three-week period in 2018 to two women.[14] [15] Kniveton reported that she left him the day that he had told her about it, and that she had later started divorce proceedings.[16]

They separated in 2018 and subsequently divorced.[17]

In December 2021 it was revealed that a Family Court judge had ruled that Kniveton had been repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted by her then husband.[18] Family Court decisions are not usually publicised and, as a complainant in a case of alleged sexual misconduct, Kate Kniveton had a statutory right of anonymity. However she waived that right of anonymity and in July 2021 a High Court judge (Lieven J), on appeal from the Family Court at first instance, ruled that the public interest was served by permitting publication of aspects of the Family Court’s findings.[18] This decision was upheld on 10 December 2021 by the Court of Appeal.[19]

In February 2024, the High Court ruled against Griffiths spending time with his child with Kniveton, and repeated the fact that Kniveton had been raped by him.[20] She wants a ban on domestic abusers seeing their children.[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kate Kniveton . Parliament.gov.uk . 15 August 2022.
  2. Book: Brunskill, Ian. The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. 19 March 2020. 978-0-00-839258-1. 129. HarperCollins Publishers Limited . 1129682574.
  3. Web site: New defences go up to prevent horrendous A38 flooding . 16 August 2022 .
  4. News: Wheeler . Caroline . Andrew Griffiths interview: mental breakdown drove MP to send 'shameful' sex texts . 15 December 2019 . The Sunday Times . 4 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190731223300/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/andrew-griffiths-mental-breakdown-drove-mp-to-send-shameful-sex-texts-q83dp9qgg . 31 July 2019 . live .
  5. News: Kate Griffiths opens up about 'devastation' of discovering husband's sex texts. Derby Telegraph. 13 November 2019. Kreft. Helen. 12 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191217144940/https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/kate-griffiths-opens-up-devastation-3534592. 17 December 2019. live.
  6. News: Shock result at dramatic Tory meeting to decide future of Andrew Griffiths in Burton. Derby Telegraph. Kreft. Helen. 12 November 2019. 15 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191215094121/https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/andrew-griffiths-election-burton-tory-3528084. 15 December 2019. live.
  7. News: Katie Gibbons . Esther Webber . Kate Griffiths, estranged wife of Andrew, seen as a safer bet than 'risk‑taker' MP . 15 December 2019 . The Times . 16 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215092550/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/estranged-wife-kate-griffiths-was-seen-as-a-safer-bet-than-risk-taker-mp-andrew-griffiths-lb3n6clrv . 15 December 2019 . live .
  8. News: Kate Griffiths: ex-minister's estranged wife to fight his old seat . 15 December 2019 . The Times . 14 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215092544/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/election-2019-ex-minister-s-estranged-wife-kate-griffith-to-fight-his-old-seat-w235vpcl2 . 15 December 2019 . live .
  9. News: Derby Telegraph. This is what the Burton General Election 2019 candidates promise to do for you. Kreft. Helen. 9 December 2019. 15 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191215092551/https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/what-burton-general-election-2019-3616782. 15 December 2019. live.
  10. Web site: O'Brien . Andy . 14 November 2019 . ELECTION OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE BURTON PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY. NOTICE OF POLL . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220215135549/http://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/SOPN%20NoticeOfPoll%20Situation%20of%20Polling%20Stations.pdf . 15 February 2022 . 15 November 2019 . East Staffordshire Borough Council.
  11. News: 2020-11-25. Kate Griffiths calls for MP pay rise worth thousands to be scrapped. en-GB. DerbyshireLive. 2021-07-09. 0307-1235.
  12. Web site: Burton Bulletin. 8. Rotary International.
  13. Web site: 'She's our little miracle' - Andrew Griffiths and wife Kate welcome their first baby into the world. Staffordshire Live. 17 April 2018. 13 September 2019. Pridding. Beth.
  14. News: Suspended Tory MP seeks early resolution to explicit texts inquiry. Walker. Peter. 11 October 2018. The Guardian. 12 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191102195013/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/11/suspended-tory-mp-andrew-griffiths-seeks-early-resolution-to-explicit-texts-inquiry. 2 November 2019. live.
  15. Web site: Minister Andrew Griffiths resigns over texts to women. BBC News. 15 July 2018. 15 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180715004249/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44833946. 15 July 2018. live.
  16. News: Wife of disgraced MP stands in his former seat with pledge to fight domestic abuse. The Guardian. 13 November 2019. Halliday. Josh. 12 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191222140719/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/13/kate-griffiths-wife-of-disgraced-mp-andrew-griffiths-stands-in-his-former-seat-with-pledge-to-fight-domestic-abuse. 22 December 2019. live.
  17. News: Ex-Tory minister Andrew Griffiths found to have raped wife . 10 December 2021 . BBC News . 10 December 2021.
  18. Web site: Tickle . Louise . Griffiths v Griffiths . Tortoise . 10 December 2021 . 10 December 2021.
  19. Griffiths v Tickle. EWCA Civ 1882. Court of Appeal (Civil Division). 10 December 2021. https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/griffiths-v-tickle/.
  20. Web site: McIntyre . Alex . 2024-02-06 . Ex-MP Andrew Griffiths barred from having direct contact with his child . 2024-02-11 . BBC News . en-GB.
  21. Web site: 2024-03-14 . MP Kate Kniveton seeks ban on domestic abusers seeing their kids . 2024-03-14 . BBC News . en-GB.

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