Steven Woolfe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steven Woolfe
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Woolfe in 2016
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| Member of the European Parliament for North West England |
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| In office 1 July 2014 – 1 July 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Atkins |
| Succeeded by | David Bull |
| UKIP portfolios | |
| 2014 | Economics |
| 2015–2016 | Immigration |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Steven Marcus Woolfe
6 October 1967 Moss Side, Manchester, England |
| Political party | Independent (since 2016) |
| Other political affiliations |
Conservative (2000–2010) UKIP (2010–2016) |
| Education | St. Bede's College, Manchester |
| Alma mater | Aberystwyth University; City Law School |
Steven Marcus Woolfe (born 6 October 1967) is a British lawyer, writer, and former politician. He works as a director at the Centre for Migration & Economic Prosperity. This group studies how people move and settle in the UK, Europe, and the US.
Steven Woolfe was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England from 2014 to 2019. An MEP is a person elected to represent their country in the European Parliament, which helps make laws for countries in Europe. He was first an MEP for the UKIP. In October 2016, he left UKIP to become an independent MEP. He did this because he disagreed with the party's strong views on immigration. He remained an independent politician until July 2019.
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Growing Up and School
Steven Woolfe was born in Moss Side, a part of Manchester, England. He grew up in Burnage, on a council estate, which is a group of homes built by the local government. His grandmother came to Britain from Ireland. His parents were both born in Manchester. His father was mixed race, with a British Jewish mother and a Black American father.
Steven is the oldest of four children. His younger half-brother, Nathan Woolfe, is a footballer who plays as a striker.
Steven went to St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary School. Later, he won a scholarship to St Bede's College, Manchester, a private school in Manchester. A scholarship helps pay for school if a student is very good at their studies or other activities. At St Bede's, he was excellent at sports, debating, and schoolwork.
After high school, Steven studied law at Aberystwyth University and earned a law degree in 1990. He won several awards during his studies.
Working as a Lawyer
After university, Steven Woolfe continued his law studies in London to become a barrister. A barrister is a type of lawyer who represents people in court. He worked in different law firms, focusing on criminal law.
Later, he started working for big banks and financial companies like the Union Bank of Switzerland and Credit Suisse. He helped them follow rules about money and prevent illegal activities. Before he became interested in politics, he also worked for companies that manage large investments.
Since 2019, Steven Woolfe has worked as a consultant, giving legal advice to financial companies.
Political Journey
Steven Woolfe became involved with the UKIP in 2010. UKIP was a political party that wanted the UK to leave the European Union. He gave his first speech at their conference that year. Nigel Farage, a leader of UKIP, asked Steven to be a spokesperson for economics, even though Steven was not yet a member of the party. In 2011, Steven was elected to UKIP's main committee.
In 2012, Steven Woolfe ran as a UKIP candidate for the Greater London Authority. He also ran for the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner elections in November 2012. He wanted to be tough on crime and support local police. He finished fifth in that election.
In May 2014, Steven Woolfe helped organize a meeting to promote UKIP candidates from different ethnic backgrounds.
Becoming an MEP
In the 2014 European Parliament election, Steven Woolfe was chosen as one of UKIP's candidates for North West England. He was one of three UKIP candidates elected as an MEP from that region.
From 2014, he became the party's spokesperson for migration policy. He believed that migration should be fair and based on a person's skills, not their background. This idea was later used by other political groups during the Brexit discussions.
Steven Woolfe also worked on economic policy for UKIP. He thought taxes should be simpler and lower for everyone. He suggested that people earning the minimum wage should not have to pay tax at all.
In 2014, he was chosen to run for Parliament in Stockport in the 2015 general election. He came in third place.
UKIP Leadership Bid
In July 2016, after Nigel Farage stepped down, Steven Woolfe tried to become the new leader of UKIP. He had support from UKIP leaders in Wales, Scotland, and London.
He promised to focus on winning votes in areas of Northern England and the Midlands. He also said UKIP had already convinced many people about managing immigration and that he would focus on helping people improve their lives.
However, on 31 July 2016, he was stopped from running by the party's committee because he missed the deadline to submit his application.
In October 2016, Steven Woolfe left UKIP. He said the party was struggling and decided to become an independent MEP for the next three years.
After Politics
Since 2019, Steven Woolfe has been the director of legal affairs for The Centre For Migration & Economic Prosperity. This is a "think tank," which is a group that does research and offers ideas on important topics. He also works as an editor and head of communications for Libertatio.
Personal Life
Steven Woolfe married Fiona Olivia Thomson in 2011. They have one daughter. He is a Catholic.
See also
