Andrew Western | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2022 | |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transformation | |
Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Office established |
Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston | |
Assumed office 15 December 2022 | |
Preceded by | Kate Green |
Majority | 16,150 (35.1%) |
Leader of Trafford Council | |
In office 23 May 2018 –17 December 2022 | |
Preceded by | Sean Anstee |
Succeeded by | Tom Ross |
Member of Trafford Council for Priory | |
In office 5 May 2011 –4 May 2023 | |
Preceded by | Roland Griffin |
Personal details | |
Born | Andrew Howard Western 18 March 1985 Wythenshawe,Manchester,England |
Political party | Labour |
Education | Altrincham Grammar School for Boys |
Alma mater | University of Sheffield |
Andrew Howard Western (born 18 March 1985) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stretford and Urmston since 2022. A member of the Labour Party,he has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transformation in the Department for Work and Pensions since 2024. [1] Prior to his election to Parliament,Western served as Leader of Trafford Council from 2018 to 2022.
Andrew Howard Western was born at Wythenshawe Hospital to Denise Western (née Firth) and Howard Western. [2] He grew up in Timperley,Trafford. He had four sisters,and describes his upbringing as "modest",saying that "after my parents' divorce times were tough";he benefited from the Education Maintenance Allowance and was the first member of his family to go to university. [3]
He attended Altrincham Grammar School for Boys,before studying History and Politics at Sheffield University,graduating in 2006. [4] He returned to Trafford after university,and before becoming council leader worked in project management within the engineering sector,focusing particularly on transport infrastructure. Western lives in Flixton.
Western joined the Labour Party in 2006,holding various roles at a branch and constituency level over the following 10 years.
He was first elected to Trafford Council at the 2011 local elections,representing Priory ward,which largely consists of Sale town centre.
Western was subsequently re-elected at both the 2015 and 2019 local government elections.
Western became Deputy Leader of the Labour Group on Trafford Council in May 2014,before becoming Labour Group Leader,and Leader of the Opposition,in November 2014.
At the 2018 local government elections,the Labour Party gained four seats from the Conservative Party,with the Tories suffering further losses to the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
The Labour Party became the largest political group on Trafford Council,with the previously Tory-controlled authority being placed in a state of no overall control;Labour formed a minority-control administration governing the Council with the support of the Liberal Democrats in a confidence and supply arrangement. Western was confirmed as Council Leader shortly after the elections. [5]
At the 2019 local government elections,the Labour Party made further gains in Trafford,securing an additional six seats from the Conservative Party. The Labour Group obtained a majority of council seats,and formed an outright administration governing the Council. This was the first time since the 2004 boundary changes that Labour had managed to win a majority of seats. [6]
Western sits on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is presently the Portfolio Lead for Place Based Regeneration (Housing and Infrastructure) as well as Clean Air. Between May 2018 and May 2019,he served as Portfolio Lead for Digital. He led on Green City Region between 2019 and 2021,before leading on Digital,Works and Skills for the second half of that year. He sits on the Transport for the North Board,the Greater Manchester Transport Committee and the North West Regional Leaders Board. [7]
In March 2019,Western publicly opposed the plans by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to make cuts to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. [8]
Western is an active member of the Local Government Association,and as Chair of the LGA's Resources (Finance) Board is the cross-party lead on finance in local government. He also represents Labour councillors in North West England as the LGA Labour Group rep for the Region. In June 2022,Western became Chair of the GM Transport Committee,a committee of councillors overseeing public transport in the City Region.
Since 2019,Western has served as a non-executive director at Trafford Housing Trust. He serves as a school governor at Wellfield Infant and Nursery School in Sale. [9]
Following his election to parliament in December 2022,Western resigned as leader of Trafford Council,being succeeded by Tom Ross. [10] [11]
Western had twice sought election to Parliament before being elected,being the Labour candidate in Altrincham and Sale West at the 2017 and 2019 general elections. On both occasions,he retained the party's second place,but was defeated by incumbent MP Sir Graham Brady. The previously safe Conservative seat,had,however,become marginal. In 2019,he and Brady both lost ground to the Liberal Democrats and Greens. [12]
On 26 June 2022,Western was selected to contest Stretford and Urmston after the upcoming retirement of incumbent Labour MP Kate Green at the next general election;Green resigned in November 2022,triggering a by-election,at which Western was the successful Labour candidate. [13] He won the by-election with 69.6% of the vote. [14]
In the Labour reshuffle of September 2023,Western was promoted to the Opposition Whip's Office.
Two days after being re-elected in the 2024 general election,Western's home was attacked,with the police offering support as part of Operation Bridger. In response to speculation by journalist Eyup Lovely that the attacker was "probably just someone taking the Mickey," Western revealed that the assailant had used a sledgehammer. [15]
Western supported Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour leadership election. [16] In the 2020 leadership election,he supported Lisa Nandy for Leader,backing Angela Rayner in the deputy leadership contest.[ citation needed ]
Western endorsed Tony Lloyd in the 2016 Greater Manchester Labour Party mayoral selection. [17]
In a speech to Stand Up to Racism Manchester,Western claimed to have "chased (Tommy Robinson) out of Trafford",and expressed his concern about Donald Trump and Boris Johnson,describing the latter as "far right". [18]
Year | Constituency | Party | Votes | % of votes | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Stretford and Urmston | Labour | 22,642 | 49.2 | ![]() | |
2022 by-election | Stretford and Urmston | Labour | 12,828 | 69.6 | ![]() | |
2019 | Altrincham and Sale West | Labour | 20,172 | 36.8 | ![]() | |
2017 | Altrincham and Sale West | Labour | 20,507 | 38.8 | ![]() |
Year | Borough | Ward | Party | Votes | % of votes | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Trafford | Priory | Labour | 1,511 | 48.8 | ![]() | |
2015 | Trafford | Priory | Labour | 2,407 | 42.9 | ![]() | |
2011 | Trafford | Priory | Labour | 1,510 | 43.3 | ![]() | |
2010 | Trafford | Broadheath | Labour | 1,799 | 29.3 | ![]() | |
2008 | Trafford | Broadheath | Labour | 836 | 26.9 | ![]() | |
2007 | Trafford | Hale Barns | Labour | 284 | 9.1 | ![]() |
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester,England,with an estimated population of 236,301 in 2022. It covers 106 square kilometres (41 sq mi) and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham,Stretford,Urmston,Partington and Sale. The borough was formed in 1974 as a merger of six former districts and part of a seventh. The River Mersey flows through the borough,separating North Trafford from South Trafford,and the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Trafford is the seventh-most populous district in Greater Manchester.
Beverley June Hughes,Baroness Hughes of Stretford is a British politician who most recently served as Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Policing and Crime between 2017 and 2023. A member of the Labour Party,Hughes was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stretford and Urmston from 1997 to 2010. In 2004,she was appointed to the Privy Council. From 2005 to 2009,she served in the Government as the Minister of State for Children,Young People and Families.
Sir Anthony Joseph Lloyd was a British Labour politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) for 36 years,making him one of the longest-serving MPs in recent history. He served as MP for Stretford from 1983 to 1997,Manchester Central from 1997 to 2012,and represented Rochdale from 2017 until his death in 2024. He was Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner between 2012 and 2017 and served as the interim Mayor of Greater Manchester in his last two years in the role.
Stretford is a market town in Trafford,Greater Manchester,England,sited on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal;the Bridgewater Canal bisects the town. The town is located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Manchester,3 miles (4.8 km) south of Salford and 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east,Moss Side and Whalley Range to the south-east,Hulme to the north-east,Urmston to the west,Salford to the north and Sale to the south.
Urmston is a town in Trafford,Greater Manchester,England,which had a population of 41,825 at the 2011 Census. Historically in Lancashire,it is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is the River Mersey,with Stretford lying to the east and Flixton to the west. Davyhulme lies to the north of the town centre. Urmston covers an area of 4,799 acres (19.42 km2).
Altrincham and Sale West is a constituency in the House of Commons.
Stretford and Urmston is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since a 2022 by-election by Andrew Western,a Labour MP.
Flixton is a suburb and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford,Greater Manchester,England. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 10,786. It lies six miles (9.7 km) southwest of Manchester city centre,in the historic county of Lancashire.
Trafford Council,or Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council,is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester,England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
Katherine Anne Green OBE JP is a British politician serving as Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Policing and Crime since 2023. She previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stretford and Urmston between 2010 and 2022. A member of the Labour Party,she served as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities from 2015 to 2016,Chair of the Committees on Privileges and Standards from 2018 to 2020,and Shadow Secretary of State for Education from 2020 to 2021.
Broadheath is an electoral ward of Trafford,Greater Manchester,England,covering the Broadheath area of Altrincham,part of Timperley,and a small part of Sale.
Davyhulme East is an electoral ward of Trafford,Greater Manchester,covering Dumplington,the eastern half of Davyhulme and a small part of Urmston.
Gorse Hill was an electoral ward of Trafford,Greater Manchester,England. It covered parts of Stretford,including Gorse Hill,most of Trafford Park and a small part of Old Trafford.
Priory is an electoral ward of Trafford,Greater Manchester,covering the northern and central part of Sale,including the Town Centre.
The inaugural Greater Manchester mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of Greater Manchester. The next successive election was due to be held on 7 May 2020,but due to that year's outbreak of the novel Coronavirus,the election was postponed until May 2021. Subsequent elections are legislatively required to be held every four years thereafter. The electoral system used for the election is the supplementary vote (SV).
The 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election was held on 2 May 2024 to elect the mayor of Greater Manchester. The election took place on the same day as council elections within the city region,including the election for the mayor of Salford,as well as local elections across England and Wales.
A by-election was held in the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Stretford and Urmston on 15 December 2022,following the appointment of sitting Labour MP Kate Green as Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester. Green was appointed as Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead on 10 November,giving effect to her resignation as a member of Parliament.
Tom Ross is a British Labour politician and leader of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester. As leader he is also a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio lead for the Green City-Region.
The 2023 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council elections took place on 4 May 2023 alongside other elections in the United Kingdom. Due to boundary changes,all 63 seats were contested.