KalvinLokan
The Right Honourable KalvinLokan CMG CT MP MLA | |
|---|---|
 Lokan in 2020 | |
| Co-Leader of the Progressive Workers Party | |
| In office 30 January 2021 – 10 January 2022 Serving with Model-Eddy | |
| Leader of the Ulster Workers' Party | |
| In office 25 March 2021 – 10 January 2022 | |
| Deputy | Sasja Friendly |
| Preceded by | Sten De Geer |
| Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland | |
| In office 27 June 2021 – 29 November 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lady Aya |
| First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom | |
| Assumed office 9 August 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lily-irl |
| Secretary of State for Business and Economic Development | |
| In office 5 November 2020 – 5 December 2020 | |
| Leader | Lily-irl |
| Preceded by | Model-david |
| Succeeded by | NeatSaucer |
| Member of Parliament for Leeds and Wakefield | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Atrastically |
| Majority | 57,485 |
| Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (List) | |
| Assumed office 15 February 2021 | |
| Member of Parliament for London (List) | |
| In office 6 October 2020 – 5 December 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Sunlightatnight |
| Succeeded by | Liesocia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kalvin James Matthew Lokan 15 May 1992 Pudsey West Yorkshire United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour (January 2022 - present) |
| Other political affiliations | SATUP/PWP (December 2020 - January 2022) Labour (October 2020 - December 2020) |
| Alma mater | University of Hull |
KalvinLokan (born 15 May 1992), commonly known simply as Lokan, is a British Labour politician, the leader of the Irish Labour Party and is the current First Secretary of State in the Rose 2 Coalition which was formed after the July 2021 United Kingdom general election. He has previously served as the Shadow Employment, Pensions and Welfare Secretary (13 October 2020 - 5 November 2020) during Labour's stint in opposition and served as the Secretary of State for Business and Economic Development (5 November 2020 - 5 December 2020) during Phoenix Coalition.
He was formerly the Member of Parliament (MP) for London (List) from 6 October 2020 until 5 December 2020, having replaced the then departing MP Sunlightatnight and became the MP for Yorkshire (List) following the February 2021 United Kingdom general election which serves as his second constituency following his successful election to Leeds and Wakefield in the July 2021 United Kingdom general election.
Prior to Politics
Early Years
Lokan was born on 15 May 1992 to his two parents in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. His mother was a teacher and his father was an office worker with him attending local schools throughout his childhood which he remarks "improved as I got older, the first few years in Primary were terrible and I hated the school." Despite the disdain for his schools, Lokan was known as a smart student, additionally being loud and outspoken in his beliefs, but relatively quiet with regards to friends and not having too many as he grew up through the few he did have he spent a considerable time with during education.
He would pass his GCSE's easily but failed in 2 of his 4 A-levels, still managing to get to the University of Hull to study Politics and International Relations where he first completed a Bachelors, and then a Masters, becoming involved in local politics in the city and his home town as he studied and ultimately entering politics this way.
Political Career
Labour and SATUP
Lokan began his political career as a Labour Party politician, serving as the MP for London (List) and as Shadow Secretary for Employment, Pensions and Welfare until the entering of Labour into government where he would then serve as the Secretary of State for Business and Economic Development, a role he served in until he left Labour.
He would also stand as the Alliance Party candidate for Londonderry in the December 2020 Northern Ireland Assembly election. Lokan however, resigned from the Labour Party on 5 December 2020 before the results were declared and later on the 6 December established a new political party, the Syndicalist and Allied Trade Unions Party, also known as SATUP which would eventually merge into the Progressive Workers Party.
Lokan would lead for just under two months during which time the party saw decent growth as it eventually reached around 2% in the polls and established itself as the primary political movement for the Syndicalists in the British Trade Union movement as the party focused very heavily on issues about worker's rights as well as the economic inequality facing regions of the UK such as Yorkshire and the East Midlands and building itself on a stringently pro-Trade Union, pro-Union, pro-Devolution platform.
Progressive Workers Party
Following a period of good cooperation and close personal relations between the party leaders, SATUP then merged with the Progressive Party UK into the Progressive Workers Party with him and Model-Eddy serving as Co-leaders of the newly established party following a Leadership election that returned its first Presidium.
KalvinLokan and Model-Eddy led the party into the February 2021 United Kingdom general election a scant half-a-month after the merger where they both led the party to success with Lokan taking up the parties Seat for Yorkshire (List) after losing the vote in Leeds and Wakefield as the Progressive Workers Party gained 4 seats across the country including their first constituency seat for the party in Cambridgeshire.
The party entered into a Confidence and Supply Agreement with the new Rose Coalition Government formed by Solidarity which saw the departing of then Ulster Workers' Party Leader Sten De Geer from the position which Lokan took up in late March of 2021.
His tenure in the leadership of the party marked a period in which the Ulster Workers' Party rose rapidly up the polling from being the smallest of not only the unionist parties but of all Northern Irish parties to leading over the Ulster Unionist Party by the time of the June 2021 Northern Ireland Assembly election and eventually resulted in him becoming the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland following the election as the UWP came second.
Political Beliefs
Lokan is an avowed Syndicalist, having declared as such in an article made in response to the claim that he had described himself as "not a socialist." He has also espoused a degree of protectionism in trade policy, believing in "focusing" on military equipment being produced in the UK rather than imported from abroad or purchased. Despite these beliefs, however, he has claimed he is more a pragmatist than much else, and moderates his views to work together for a compromise rather than taking a hard-line ideological stance on many issues.
Lokan participated in the 2020 Welsh Justice Devolution Referendum on the side of the Justice for Wales Campaign. He visited several locations in Wales such as Fishguard and Swansea during the campaigning and making several speeches arguing in favour of devolving the powers to Wales to deliver a "Union of Equals."
Despite the more federalising stance, Lokan is a hardliner unionist having drawn considerable ire and controversy in Northern Ireland for his strongly unionist beliefs which have often clashed with not only the nationalist parties but also the more moderate unionists as well.
Controversies
Donations to School Controversy
On the 6 November 2020, questions were raised from a visit Lokan made to his hometown of Pudsey, specifically regarding his donation of £45,000 to the local schools in the area which he claimed to make from his wages. Questions were raised as to how he had the money from several MPs in the Conservative and Libertarian Party though Lokan maintained that the majority came from savings he had made as a result of working since he was 16 despite claims from MPs that he had received donations from external sources.
Remembrance Sunday Controversy
On 8 November 2020, Lokan drew the ire of several politicians in both the Conservative and Coalition! Party as a result of comments he made regarding Remembrance Sunday. In an article, he stated his belief in the need for the pursuit of peace, and labelled the First World War a pointless one that had seen "wasted lives." This drew ire from several members of other political parties who labelled his views as "historically naïve" or even "insulting" to those who had given their lives in the First World War.
Build them Here Controversy
On 9 November 2020, Lokan released a poster for the Labour Party titled "Build them Here," indicating a belief that military hardware used by the UK Armed Forces should be designed and manufactured inside the United Kingdom. This drew the attention of several Conservative and LPUK MPs who raised questions during MQs to the Defence Secretary scubaguy149 who stated that "Mr Lokan's views are his own and not of my department."
On 22 November 2020, in an article, the modelUK Defence Journal accused Lokan of having broken CCR with his comments along with having released the poster which they suggested went against the views of the Defence Secretary scubaguy149, regarding the procurement and manufacture of weapons, vehicles and equipment for the British Army. With the claim to have broken CCR a serious one, a statement was issued by Lokan on 23 November 2020 which refuted the accusations and claimed it had been a misunderstanding along with providing conversation had between himself and the Defence Secretary scubaguy194 that cleared up the matter.
Leadership of the Ulster Workers' Party
Lokan has attracted significant controversy during his time as the leader of the Ulster Workers' Party, including accusations of symbolism harkening to the UVF (which he fervently denies) as well as an attempt to goad nationalists into confrontations through provocative motions and bills. Despite the controversy, his leadership of the Ulster Workers' Party has seen the party rise rapidly in polls, overtaking the Ulster Unionist Party as the main unionist party in the Assembly and securing the deputy First Minister position though there was significant concern that an Executive could not be formed with his presence due to a considerable clash of personality between himself and leader of Sinn Féin, Motelblinds. The concerns were ultimately unfounded as an Executive was secured, though with a considerable amount of trepidation from those involved.
Once in the Executive, Lokan came under additional scrutiny for his criticism of Sinn Féin for their minister's failure to answer questions at EQs, raising considerable concerns of a lack of cooperation inside of the Executive and drawing a significant amount of criticism from both nationalist and unionist politicians who claimed it was out of order for Lokan to make use of press media and statements to criticise the parties that the Ulster Workers' Party found themselves in coalition with. It ultimately did not change it happening, however was a constant source of tension and criticism over the term.