Ian Byrne (politician)

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

Ian Byrne

MP
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

May 1972 (age 48)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Alma materOpen University

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.[3]

He worked as a taxi driver while studying at The Open University and gaining a degree over six years.[4] 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.[5]

In 2015, Byrne co-founded Fans Supporting Foodbanks, a community initiative by football fans to tackle food poverty in Liverpool.[6] 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.[7] He continues to serve as a local councillor, donating his councillor's allowance to Vauxhall Law Centre.[8]

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.[9] On 12 December 2019, Byrne was elected with 34,117 votes. This represented 77.6% of the vote share.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

Personal life

Byrne is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club and a committee member of Liverpool supporters' union Spirit of Shankly.[13]

References
  1. "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. "Liverpool West Derby parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. Traynor, Luke (22 April 2020). "MP who survived Hillsborough backs new law for equal justice". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  4. @@IanByrneMP (12 November 2019). ""One of my proudest achievements..."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ""Only bold state intervention will see us through this crisis" – Ian Byrne's maiden speech". LabourList. 23 March 2020.
  6. "Fans Supporting Foodbanks: "It's not charity, it's solidarity". This is Anfield. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  7. "Councillor details - Councillor Ian Byrne". councillors.liverpool.gov.uk. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  8. "New MP Byrne asked to stay on as councillor until May – donates allowance to law centre for vulnerable". Skwawkbox. 10 January 2020.
  9. "Merseyside Labour MP Stephen Twigg to stand down". ITV News. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. "Liverpool West Derby parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  11. Byrne, Ian (2 March 2020). "From the Terraces to Westminster". Tribune. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. "Heroic efforts in Liverpool creating vital PPE for the NHS and getting food to the needy". Liverpool Echo. 18 April 2020.
  13. "Liverpool fans urged to show support for fan culture at Anfield on Saturday as trademark row rumbles on". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Stephen Twigg		 Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
2019–present		 Incumbent
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