Ian Byrne (politician)

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Ian Byrne
Official portrait of Ian Byrne MP crop 2.jpg
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool West Derby
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byStephen Twigg
Majority29,984 (68.2%)
Personal details
Born
Ian Robert Byrne

1972
Liverpool, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Other political
affiliations
Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present)
Alma materOpen University
WebsiteOfficial website

Ian Robert Byrne[1] (born 1972)[2] is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool West Derby since the 2019 general election.[3]

Early life and career[]

Byrne grew up on the Stockbridge Village (formerly Cantril Farm) estate in Liverpool. At the age of 17 he was present at the Hillsborough disaster and escaped before the crush occurred, however his father was seriously injured.[4]

He worked as a taxi driver while studying at The Open University and gaining a degree over six years.[5] He was an active member of Unite the union, where he later got a job as a trade union organiser. His work included organising sub-contracted NHS workers for better pay and conditions.[6]

In 2015, Byrne co-founded Fans Supporting Foodbanks, a community initiative by football fans to tackle food poverty in Liverpool.[7] Before becoming an MP, he worked with Dan Carden in the neighbouring constituency of Liverpool Walton.

Political career[]

In 2018, Byrne was elected as a councillor to Liverpool City Council, representing the Everton ward alongside Labour's Cllr Jane Corbett and Cllr Frank Prendergast MBE.[8] He continues to serve as a local councillor, donating his councillor's allowance to Vauxhall Law Centre.[9][10]

On 3 November 2019, Byrne was selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool West Derby, after the previous Labour MP Stephen Twigg announced he would be standing down at the 2019 general election.[11] On 12 December 2019, Byrne was elected with 34,117 votes. This represented 77.6% of the vote share, a reduction of 5.2% from the previous election[12]

Byrne is on the left of the Labour Party and was a supporter of the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and backed his Campaign Group colleagues Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon in the 2020 Labour leadership election and deputy leadership election.[13]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Byrne worked with Fans Supporting Foodbanks to scale up food distribution in Liverpool and co-ordinate local efforts to produce personal protective equipment for frontline NHS and care workers.[14]

In 2020, Byrne launched a campaign for the Right to Food to be written into UK law.[15]

On 14 December 2021, Byrne voted in favour of the Conservative government's 'Plan B' COVID-19 restrictions, including for an expansion of mask mandates and the introduction of vaccine passports.[16][17] However, he was one of 22 Labour MPs who voted against mandatory vaccination of NHS staff.[18]

Personal life[]

Byrne is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club and a committee member of Liverpool supporters' union Spirit of Shankly.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Byrne, Ian". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2021. 10 May 1972 comes up in searches
  3. ^ "Liverpool West Derby parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. ^ Traynor, Luke (22 April 2020). "MP who survived Hillsborough backs new law for equal justice". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  5. ^ Byrne, Ian [@IanByrneMP] (12 November 2019). ""One of my proudest achievements..."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ ""Only bold state intervention will see us through this crisis" – Ian Byrne's maiden speech". LabourList. 23 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Fans Supporting Foodbanks: "It's not charity, it's solidarity". This is Anfield. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Ian Byrne". councillors.liverpool.gov.uk. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  9. ^ "New MP Byrne asked to stay on as councillor until May – donates allowance to law centre for vulnerable". Skwawkbox. 10 January 2020.
  10. ^ "About". Ian Byrne MP official website.
  11. ^ "Merseyside Labour MP Stephen Twigg to stand down". ITV News. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Liverpool West Derby parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. ^ Byrne, Ian (2 March 2020). "From the Terraces to Westminster". Tribune. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Heroic efforts in Liverpool creating vital PPE for the NHS and getting food to the needy". Liverpool Echo. 18 April 2020.
  15. ^ "The mission to end food poverty that is starting on the streets of Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. 20 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Health Regulations (Face Coverings) SI No 1400". UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Health Protection (Entry to venues etc) SI No 1416". UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  18. ^ "draft Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No.2) Regulations 2021". UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Liverpool fans urged to show support for fan culture at Anfield on Saturday as trademark row rumbles on". Liverpool Echo. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.

External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
2019–present
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""