Alex Ballinger | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Halesowen | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 4,364 (11.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Labour |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 2005 –2013 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Royal Marines |
Alexander Robert Ballinger [1] is a British Labour Party and former Royal Marine who has been the Member of Parliament for Halesowen since 2024. He gained the seat from James Morris,a Conservative. [2]
Ballinger studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Manchester before joining the Royal Marines in 2005,later reaching the rank of Captain. [2] [3] He served on operations in Afghanistan,including deployments in 2006 and 2009,and has referred to a family tradition of military service and his deployment alongside his brother. [4]
After leaving the armed forces,Ballinger joined the Department for International Development (DFID) and led humanitarian and refugee operations during the Syrian civil war, [5] [6] [7] before moving to the Foreign,Commonwealth &Development Office (FCDO),working on Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas and later heading the UK’s mission in Lahore. [8] [9] [10] During the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation,he led a team assisting evacuations across the border into Pakistan. [11]
From 2023 to 2024,Ballinger ran a small mental health charity based in Birmingham and the Black Country. [6]
Ballinger was elected on 4 July 2024 with 38.9% of the vote. [12]
He was subsequently appointed a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee [13] and has used both committee and chamber proceedings to press ministers on Gaza and humanitarian access. [14] [15]
In September 2025,it was reported that Ballinger told a Labour conference fringe meeting he believed Israel’s actions in Gaza “meet the conditions”for genocide. [16]
Ballinger has been active on defence and service life issues. [17] He serves as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces and was appointed to the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill. [18]
Ballinger is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Reform [19] ,and was a leading voice calling for increasing taxation on online gambling companies,in order to fund the lifting of the Two Child Benefit Cap. [20]
Ballinger has raised constituency-linked issues in Parliament,including leading a Commons debate on knife crime in the West Midlands . He has also campaigned for greater road safety in his constituency. [21] [22] [23]
In January 2026,he secured a Westminster Hall debate on the UK Town of Culture initiative;with multiple MPs referencing his “passionate pitch”for his area. [24]
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