Mia Mottley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Mia Mottley SC MP
Mottley in 2021
8th Prime Minister of Barbados
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 May 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II (until 2021)
President	Sandra Mason (since 2021)
Governor-General	Sandra Mason (until 2021)
Deputy	Santia Bradshaw (since 2022)
Preceded by	Freundel Stuart
7th Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados
In office 26 May 2003 – 15 January 2008
Prime Minister	Owen Arthur
Preceded by	Billie Miller
Succeeded by	Freundel Stuart
Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 February 2013 – 25 May 2018
Prime Minister	Freundel Stuart
Preceded by	Owen Arthur
Succeeded by	Joseph Atherley
In office 7 February 2008 – 18 October 2010
Prime Minister	David Thompson
Preceded by	David Thompson
Succeeded by	Owen Arthur
Member of Parliament for Saint Michael North East
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 1994
Preceded by	Leroy Brathwaite
Majority	3,243 (62.1%)
Chairwoman of the Caribbean Community
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2025
Preceded by	Dickon Mitchell
Personal details
Born	(1965-10-01) 1 October 1965 (age 59) Barbados
Political party	Barbados Labour Party
Relations	Eva Mottley (cousin)
Residence	Ilaro Court (2018–present)
Education	Merrivale Preparatory School; United Nations International School; Queen's College (Barbados)
Alma mater	London School of Economics (LLB)

Mia Amor Mottley (born 1 October 1965) is a Barbadian politician and lawyer. She has been the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados since 2018. She is also the Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mia Mottley is the first woman to hold both of these important positions.

She also led Barbados as it became a republic in 2021. This change meant that Barbados no longer had the Queen of Barbados as its head of state. Instead, it now has its own president.

Mia Mottley has been a Member of Parliament for the Saint Michael North East area since 1994. Between 1994 and 2008, she held many different government jobs. She was even the first woman to become the Attorney-General of Barbados.

In 2018, her party, the BLP, won a huge election victory. They won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly. This was the first time any party in Barbados had done this. She won a second term in 2022, again winning all 30 seats. She is currently the longest-serving female head of government in the world.

Mia Mottley's Early Life and Family

Mia Mottley comes from a family with a strong history in politics. Her grandfather, Ernest Deighton Mottley, was a successful politician. He was the first Mayor of Bridgetown in 1959. He also represented Bridgetown in the House of Assembly from 1946.

Mia's father, Elliott Deighton Mottley, was also a lawyer and politician. He served in the House of Assembly for a short time. He later became a consul-general in New York. He also worked as Bermuda's attorney-general.

Mia Mottley attended Merrivale Preparatory School and the United Nations International School. She also went to Queen's College (Barbados). Later, she studied law at the London School of Economics. She earned her law degree from the University of London in 1986.

Mia's Journey in Politics

Mia Mottley first entered politics in Barbados in 1991. She ran for election in St. Michael North East but lost. From 1991 to 1994, she was an Opposition Senator. This meant she was part of the group that challenged the government's decisions.

After her party, the BLP, won the 1994 election, Mia Mottley became the Minister of Education, Youth Affairs, and Culture. She was only 29 years old, making her one of the youngest ministers in Barbados's history. During this time, she helped write a plan for better education called Each Child Matters.

In 2001, she became the Attorney-General of Barbados and Minister of Home Affairs. She was the first woman in Barbados to hold this important legal position. She also helped create the "EduTech" program. This program aimed to improve education using technology.

Two years later, in 2003, Mia Mottley became the Deputy Prime Minister. She was the second woman to hold this role. She also led important committees on things like telecommunications and preparing Barbados for the Caribbean Single Market.

After her party lost the 2008 election, Mia Mottley was chosen as the leader of the BLP. This made her the first woman to lead the party. She also became the country's first female Leader of the Opposition. She promised to fight for the rights of all citizens.

In 2010, she briefly lost her position as Leader of the Opposition. However, after the 2013 election, she was re-elected to lead the opposition again.

Becoming Prime Minister

Mottley with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 24 September 2018

In the general election on 24 May 2018, Mia Mottley's party, the BLP, won a historic victory. They won all 30 seats in the legislature. This was the largest majority government in Barbados's history. On 25 May 2018, Mia Mottley was sworn in as Barbados's first female Prime Minister. She also took on the role of Minister of Finance.

After the election, one Member of Parliament, Joseph Atherley, left the BLP. He became the only opposition member in the House of Assembly.

Barbados Becomes a Republic

In 2020, Mia Mottley's government announced a plan to make Barbados a republic. This meant removing Queen Elizabeth II as the country's head of state. Mottley believed it was time for Barbados to "fully leave our colonial past behind."

Under her plan, Barbados would still use its Westminster system of government. However, it would have a president as its head of state, mainly for ceremonial duties. The goal was to make this change by 30 November 2021. This date marked the 55th anniversary of Barbados's independence.

On 12 October 2021, Dame Sandra Mason, who was the Governor-General, was chosen to be the country's first president. She officially took office on 30 November 2021.

International Leadership

Mottley at the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on 1 November 2021

Mia Mottley has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly many times. She often talks about important global issues. In 2019, she gave a speech about climate change and its effects on Caribbean nations.

In 2020, she served as the Chairperson of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This is a group of Caribbean countries that work together.

In 2021, she gave another powerful speech at the UN. She called for global leadership to fight climate change. She also spoke about economic inequality, racism, and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

In 2022, Mia Mottley hosted a meeting in Barbados. She presented the "Bridgetown Agenda." This plan offers solutions to change the international financial system. It aims to help stop climate change. She also gave important lectures, like the Kofi Annan Memorial Lecture.

Honours and Awards

Mia Mottley has received several important honours and awards:

•  Kenya:
  • Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (2019)
•  Guyana:
  • Order of Roraima of Guyana (2020)
•  Venezuela:
  • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator (2023)
•  Suriname:
  • Grand Cordon of the Ere-Orde van de Palm (2025)

Other Recognitions

• She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Champions of the Earth in 2021.
• In December 2020, Caribbean National Weekly named her Person of the Year.
• In May 2022, Mia Mottley was featured on the cover of TIME magazine. She was the first Barbadian to appear on the cover. TIME also named her one of "The 100 Most Influential People of 2022." This was for her strong work on climate change.
• In November 2022, the United Nations Foundation gave her a Global Leadership Awards. They called her a "Champion for Global Change."
• In December 2022, the BBC included her on its 100 Women list. This list features inspiring and influential women. The Financial Times also named her one of "The FT's 25 most influential women of 2022."
• In 2023, she was on the Forbes list of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women."