32 Facts About Claire Darke

Claire Darke is a British politician who served as Mayor of Wolverhampton from 2019 to 2021, holding the distinction of being the longest continuously serving female mayor in the city's history.

Claire Darke attended local comprehensive schools, St Dunstan's and St John the Baptist, but left with few formal qualifications.

Darke eventually moving to Bilston after Claire securing a job as a live-in warden of a sheltered housing scheme for elderly people.

Claire Darke admits to finding the strong Black Country dialect a challenge to understand as she settled in to life in the region.

Claire Darke then got in-house training at Bilston Community College and completed a Diploma in Higher Education at the then Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

Claire Darke graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 1992 with a BA in English and Spanish.

Claire Darke has lived in Wolverhampton for more than 40 years.

Claire Darke first entered politics in 2007 as an independent candidate for Park ward in the Wolverhampton City Council elections, driven by her opposition to the closure of the Compton Baths swimming pool.

Claire Darke's son appeared on Newsround to bring attention to the issue.

In December 2010, Claire Darke resigned from the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition of Wolverhampton City Council, because of her opposition to the United Kingdom government austerity programme saying: 'the ideological driven policies of the Conservatives to slash and burn our great city's services must not be tolerated'.

Claire Darke was supported by chairs of the Wolverhampton South West and East Lib Dem parties.

Claire Darke remained a Liberal Democrat, independent of the coalition until joining the Labour Party in March 2011 where she said that the Liberal Democrats 'had become 'at one' with Conservative ideology and no longer represent the ideals of the party I originally joined'.

Claire Darke held various roles within Wolverhampton City Council including Equalities Champion, Chair of the Petitions Committee, and Chair of Health Scrutiny Panel, where she undertook a Scrutiny Review of Infant Mortality.

Claire Darke was then the Cabinet Member for Education which saw Wolverhampton's Adult Education service rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.

Claire Darke became Deputy Mayor in May 2018, and was appointed Mayor of Wolverhampton on 15 May 2019.

In June 2024, Claire Darke resigned from the Labour Party, expressing disillusionment with the party's direction under Keir Starmer.

Claire Darke's resignation was part of a broader trend of disillusionment among Labour members, particularly those who were critical of the party's shift to the right and its approach to international and domestic issues.

Claire Darke has written extensively on abortion and is a self-declared feminist.

Claire Darke is a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party.

Claire Darke was one of the first councillors in the West Midlands to support Corbyn's successful run in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election, and continued to support his leadership in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.

Claire Darke supported the campaign to save the British Department Store, Beatties.

Claire Darke is a supporter of the UK's first transgender rapper, Nate Ethan.

Claire Darke referenced the city's proud musical heritage with prominent acts such as Led Zeppelin, Slade, Beverley Knight and Liam Payne, as well as Wolverhampton's commitment to being a diverse, multicultural, and inclusive city.

Claire Darke's call to personally invite Liam Payne to reunite One Direction for a one-off show to support refugees from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine garnered significant media attention.

Claire Darke encouraged Charles III to visit Wolverhampton and embrace Wolverhampton as a centre for a brighter future of 'more equitable internationalism'.

Claire Darke was selected to design and decorate a Wolf sculpture as part of the local arts project Wolves in Wolves.

Claire Darke was formerly the Secretary of the Wolverhampton Civil and Historical Society, where she helped get more blue plaques for the city and its surroundings, including one for Wolverhampton's first female doctor, Dr Ina Lochhead McNeill.

In 2024, Claire Darke painted one of the Wolves in Wolves, to celebrate the Wolverhampton's role in the 2022 Commonwealth Games that is placed in Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Claire Darke is married to academic and disability rights activist Paul Darke.

Claire Darke was part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay where she supported Paul as a baton bearer.

In 2024, Claire Darke was inducted into University of Wolverhampton's Alumni Hall of Fame.

Claire Darke was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to Local Government, to Disability and to Suicide Prevention.