Jennifer Whitmore

Jennifer Whitmore (born June 1974) is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since the 2020 general election.^[2][3]

Jennifer Whitmore TD
Whitmore in 2024
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2020
Constituency	Wicklow
Personal details
Born	June 1974 (age 50) [1] Wexford, Ireland
Political party	Social Democrats
Spouse	Tony Whitmore
Children	4
Alma mater	Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology University of Ulster University of Sydney
Website	jenniferwhitmore.ie

Early life and education

Whitmore is from Wexford. She gained two diplomas at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and Ecology from the University of Ulster. During the ten years she resided in Australia, she studied Environmental Law at the University of Sydney.^[4]

Career

Whitmore has worked in both local and international ecology and environmentalism as well as with the Government of New South Wales, Australia. In 2015, she founded the East Wicklow Rivers Trust.^{[citation needed]}

She was elected to represent the Greystones local electoral area on the Wicklow County Council, following the 2014 local elections. In July 2015, she helped co-found the Social Democrats as a party and became the party's Spokesperson for Children.^[5]

Whitmore was elected as a Social Democrat TD for the Wicklow constituency following the 2020 general election. In the election, she came ahead of former Social Democrats TD and leader Stephen Donnelly who left the party after just one year, citing difficulties in cooperating with the other leaders.^[6]

In September 2021, Whitmore tabled a Just Transition Bill in the Dáil; the Bill was deliberately almost identical to one the Green Party had tabled in 2017 while in opposition but had been voted down. At the time, Green leader Eamon Ryan called their proposed bill a "critical piece of the architecture" of any policy on climate action.^[7] One amendment Whitmore did make however was to define the term "Just Transition", as the previous version of the bill did not. Whitmore said the bill would define "just transition" as a green transition that ensures the economic and social consequences of the climate emergency are managed to maximise "opportunities of decent work for all, reduce inequalities, promote social justice, and support industries, workers and communities negatively affected".^[7][8]

At the 2024 general election, Whitmore was re-elected to the Dáil.^[9]

Personal life

Whitmore lives in Delgany, County Wicklow, with her husband Tony and their four children.^[3]