Claire Young

Councillor Claire Young MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament for Thornbury and Yate
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 July 2024
Preceded by	Luke Hall
Majority	3,014 (5.6%)
Leader of South Gloucestershire Council
In office 24 May 2023 – 18 July 2024
Preceded by	Toby Savage
Succeeded by	Maggie Tyrrell
Member of South Gloucestershire Council for Frampton Cotterell
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 May 2019
Member of South Gloucestershire Council for Westerleigh
In office 3 May 2007 – 2 May 2019
Succeeded by	Division abolished
Personal details
Born	Claire Louise Young (1974-03-16) 16 March 1974
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Alma mater	University of Cambridge University of Oxford University of Bristol

Claire Louise Young is a Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Thornbury and Yate since 2024. Before the election, she was also the Leader of South Gloucestershire Council.

Early life and education

Young graduated with a Master of Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1995 and a Master of Science in Software Engineering from the University of Oxford in 1999. She later completed a Masters by Research in Global Environmental Challenges at the University of Bristol in 2024. After graduating from Cambridge Young spent a decade working in the software industry. She began her career with IBM, where her work included stints in Silicon Valley, and later worked for high-tech start-up businesses in the UK.

Political career

Young has been a Councillor on South Gloucestershire Council since 2007, first being elected to represent Westerleigh. During this time she has campaigned with other parents to end the under-funding of local schools, which are amongst the lowest funded in the country. She also fought for better support for children with special needs and disabilities, chairing a Council review of this area of provision.

Young first stood for the Parliamentary constituency of Thornbury and Yate at the 2017 United Kingdom general election, where she came second. She stood again at the 2019 United Kingdom general election, again coming second.

At the 2023 South Gloucestershire Council election, Young was re-elected as a Councillor for Frampton Cotterell ward with an increased share of the vote. The results saw the ruling Conservative administration lose 10 seats, losing control of the administration for the first time since 2015. After a period of negotiations, Young became Leader of the Council following an agreement which saw the Liberal Democrats and Labour agree to form a joint administration.

At the 2024 United Kingdom general election, she contested the Thornbury and Yate seat for a third time - defeating Conservative incumbent Luke Hall by 3,014 votes.

Shortly after the result was declared, Young announced that she would be standing down as Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, telling the BBC "I'm going to stand down because I think it's important that Leader of council in itself is a full time role. I think it's important to do to do one job well".

Parliamentary career

Young was sworn in as an MP on 10 July. She made her maiden speech on 29 July during a debate on the future of British railways. In her speech, she called for the Government to improve South Gloucestershire's railway links by investing in greater flood prevention, support the redevelopment of Yate station, and reopen the stations at Pilning, Coalpit Heath and Thornbury.

Personal life

Young lives and raised her two children in Coalpit Heath. In her spare time she is a keen walker and amature photographer.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou