Christina Rees


Christina Rees is a British Labour Co-operative Party politician who served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn from 2017 to 2020, and has served as MP for Neath since 2015.

Early life

Rees was born in the village of Kenfig Hill in south Wales. Her father died when she was a young teenager and she was brought up by her mother.
Rees became head girl of Cynffig Comprehensive School and has excelled at a number of sports. Speaking as an adult, she explained that:
'I was very shy when I was a child and was bullied, so my mother sent me to judo classes to strengthen me up. I got a black belt first dan when I was 13'.
Rees has represented Wales Schools at tennis, hockey and athletics. Rees was also a member of the Great Britain Youth Team that competed at the Munich Olympics.
Rees was most successful at squash, a sport for which she has represented Wales over 100 times.

Career

Rees is a qualified barrister.
Rees stood as the Labour candidate for Arfon in the Welsh Assembly elections in May 2011, and was placed fourth on the Labour's Wales wide list for the 2014 European Elections.
Rees first became MP for Neath following the UK general election of 2015.
Rees was appointed a Shadow Justice Minister in January 2016, but quit her position during the mass resignation of Shadow ministers following the EU referendum. She supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election. She later became one of 33 Labour MPs to return to the front bench, again in the position of Shadow Justice Minister. In February 2017, she was appointed to the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
Rees was reelected at the 2019 general election but with a majority half of that she had in 2017.
In the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, Rees endorsed Keir Starmer for Labour Leader. She also endorsed Angela Rayner for deputy leader.
In April 2020, Rees announced that she wouldn't be returning to the Official Opposition frontbench under Keir Starmer. Rees was replaced in the new Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Welsh Secretary by Nia Griffith.

Personal life

Rees was married to Welsh politician and former Secretary of State for Wales, Ron Davies. The couple divorced in 1999 and have one daughter.
Rees is a vegan.