Simon Lightwood
British politician (born 1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Robert Lightwood (born 15 December 1980)[2] is a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wakefield and Rothwell since 2024. From a 2022 by-election until 2024, he represented Wakefield.[3][4] He has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024,[5] having previously been Shadow Minister for Local Transport from 2022 until 2024.[6]
Simon Lightwood | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Guy Opperman |
| Shadow Minister for Local Transport[a] | |
| In office 27 September 2022 – 4 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Sam Tarry |
| Succeeded by | Kieran Mullan |
| Member of Parliament for Wakefield and Rothwell Wakefield (2022–2024) | |
| Assumed office 23 June 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Imran Ahmad Khan |
| Majority | 9,346 (23.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Simon Robert Lightwood 15 December 1980 South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England |
| Party | Labour and Co-operative[1] |
| Bretton Hall College | |
| Website | www.simonlightwood.org.uk |
Early life and education
Lightwood was born in 1980 and grew up in South Shields.[7] After his family home was repossessed when he was aged 13, the family was forced to live with his grandmother.[8] Lightwood has a degree in theatre acting from Bretton Hall College and bought his first house in Wakefield.[7]
Early career
Lightwood was a case worker for the former Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, between 2005 and 2009. He later worked for the National Health Service,[8][9] and has served on the Labour Party's National Policy Forum as a Yorkshire representative.[10] At the time of running for parliament, he was Head of Communications for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.[11]
Parliamentary career
On 3 May 2022, Imran Ahmad Khan resigned as MP for Wakefield after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage boy, thus forcing a by-election. At the by-election held on 23 June 2022, Lightwood was elected as MP with a 4,925 majority, after being imposed on the local Labour Party against their wishes. The entire executive of the local Labour Party resigned in protest.[12]
At the 2022 Labour Party Conference, Lightwood was appointed Shadow Minister for Local Transport.[13]
In the 2024 general election, Lightwood was re-elected as the MP for the new parliamentary constituency of Wakefield and Rothwell with a majority of 9,346.[14]
Following the Labour Party victory in the 2024 general election, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Local Transport Minister).[15]
Personal life
Notes
- Shadow Minister for Buses and Taxis (2022–23)
