Gay MP Keir Mather becomes youngest government minister in almost 200 years
Keir Mather has been appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Transport. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
Labour MP Keir Mather has become the youngest government minister since William Gladstone 191 years ago.
Mather, who is 27 and gay, became the UK’s youngest MP after winning the in Selby and Ainsty (now just Selby) by-election in North Yorkshire in 2023, overturning a huge Conservative majority. He held on to the seat in last year’s general election, taking 46.3 per cent of the vote to the Tories’ 25.6 per cent.
And on Monday (8 September), as part of prime minister Keir Starmer’s reshuffle, he became parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Transport. Gladstone first became a minister in 1834, at the age of 25, going on to be prime minister for 12 years, spread over four non-consecutive terms – the most of any PM.
Mather, who was previously an assistant government whip, was endorsed by health secretary Wes Streeting, who wrote of his appointment on X/Twitter: “Youngest minister since Gladstone with the potential to go as far, which I’m sure will attract some commentary.
“That commentary should include sharp mind, excellent judgment, empathetic leader and one of the nicest people in politics.”
The new minister wrote on X: “It’s a privilege to join [transport secretary] Heidi Alexander and a fantastic team. Keeping Britain moving is central to achieving economic growth. Looking forward to getting started.”
The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at @transportgovuk.
— Keir Mather MP (@Mather_Keir) September 8, 2025
It’s a privilege to join @Heidi_Labour and a fantastic team of Ministers.
Keeping Britain moving is central to achieving economic growth. Looking forward to getting started! https://t.co/IZVkL1Px2r
Alexander responded: “Together, we will continue to drive forward this Labour government’s work to rebuild a transport system Britain can rely on.”
Addressing gender identity, Mather is quoted by The Times in 2023 as saying: “A woman is like my mum or my stepsister, somebody who is born biologically a woman. But there is a very small minority of people who feel they’ve been born into the wrong gender and they deserve respect and care.”
At an Oxford Union debate in 2018, he reportedly called feminist Germaine Greer “abhorrent” over her trans views. Five years later, having become an MP, he was asked whether he wanted to rethink his position but replied: “What I said is on the record. I strongly disagree with her outlook and approach to the issue,” The Spectator reported.
In the wake of Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister, Starmer reshuffled his cabinet, moving Yvette Cooper to the Foreign Office and making Shabana Mahmood home secretary.
Following the announcement of her becoming the first Muslim woman to head the Home Office, Mahmood said: “It is the honour of my life. The first responsibility of government is the safety of its citizens. Every day in this job, I will be devoted to that purpose.”
But her record on LGBTQ+ rights has given some cause for concern.
North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling, the first British parliamentarian to be born in the 21st century, is now the “baby of the House”, having won the seat in July 2024.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
