Stephen Kinnock is among the newest of Labour MPs, elected for the Welsh constituency of Aberavon – which includes the Port Talbot steel plant – in 2015.
Until now, he had adopted a low profile both before and after his election to the safe Labour seat, even though in Westminster his is a household name.
His father is Neil Kinnock, who led the party back in the 1980s and into the 1992 election, where he suffered a shock defeat to John Major. His mother, Glenys, was an MEP and minister of state in the Foreign Office.
But that isn’t where the politics stop. Kinnock is married to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who was the Danish prime minister until last year.
Protecting the steel industry, and in particular his own patch of Port Talbot, has allowed Kinnock to step out of his wife’s shadow.
The MP – who some have cited as a potential future Labour leader – has taken this issue and focused heavily on it, in parliament and in the constituency itself. He raised the issue with David Cameron at prime minister’s questions, and used his position on the Welsh affairs committee to grill industry and government figures.
His industry knowledge explains why he was invited by union leaders to join a delegation in Mumbai, India, who made one last-ditch attempt to persuade Tata Steel to consider an alternative to selling its British arm.
