Caroline Voaden

Caroline Jane Voaden is a British politician and international journalist, who served as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament, following her election as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the South West England and Gibraltar constituency in 2019.

In 2019, Voaden was elected as Member of the European Parliament for the South West of England constituency, having campaigned on a platform of stopping Brexit and fighting climate change.

Following criticism of BBC television's Question Time for having never featured a pro-Remain MEP, Caroline was the first pro-European MEP to feature, in October 2019.

In November 2019, Catherine Bearder announced that she would be stepping down as the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament. Caroline was subsequently elected as the leader of the European party.

She stood against Gary Streeter as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the South West Devon constituency in 2017, coming third with 5.2% of the vote.

Voaden joined the Liberal Democrats the day after the Brexit referendum in 2016, seeking to oppose Brexit and campaign for a second referendum on EU membership.

Voaden was chair of the national WAY Foundation from 2009 to 2011, a charity that supports men and women widowed under the age of 50.

In 2007, she moved to Devon, where she founded her own modern craft brand in 2012. In 2018 she became operations manager at a resettlement charity working with offenders and prisoners from HM Prison Channings Wood.

From 2000 to 2007, she served in the team which established JustGiving, as an online editor for the charitable social platform.

From 1991 to 2000, Voaden worked for the Reuters news agency, undergoing assignments in Amsterdam, Dublin, Bonn, Belgrade and Zagreb.

Caroline was born in Wantage in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), on 22 November 1968, and grew up in Scotland. She later moved to Sheffield to study French and Economics, with a year abroad living in Lille.