Catherine Hollern was born on 12 April 1955 in Dumbarton.[1] She moved to Blackburn in the late 1970s.[2] Hollern worked in management at a Blackburn footwear factory and later Blackburn College.[2]
Hollern was re-elected to represent Wensley Fold following boundary changes in 1997,[4] and in 2004 she succeeded Bill Taylor to become Council Leader. She continued as group leader after Labour lost control in 2007, she returned to lead the Council once they regained power in 2010.[5]
Hollern stepped down as Council Leader and as a councillor in March 2015.[6]
At the snap 2017 general election, Hollern was re-elected as MP for Blackburn with an increased vote share of 69.8% and an increased majority of 20,368.[9]
Hollern was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 64.9% and a decreased majority of 18,304.[15]
Following Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader, Hollern served as Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from 2020. She resigned on 12 May 2021 after being accused of trying to "isolate a parliamentary worker who had made allegations of sexual harassment" against former Labour MP Mike Hill.[16]
In January 2024, Hollern was re-selected as the Labour candidate for Blackburn at the 2024 general election.[17] She lost in that election to Independent candidate Adnan Hussain by 132 votes.[18]
Personal life
Hollern's partner of 26 years was politician and trade unionist John Roberts, with whom she had two daughters.[19] Roberts served as a Member of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Chair of Blackburn Labour. He died in 2017 at the age of 61, having been diagnosed with cancer shortly after Hollern's election to Parliament in 2015.
