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Andy McDonald (politician)

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Andy McDonald
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Middlesbrough (2012–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 November 2012
Preceded byStuart Bell
Majority9,192 (26.7%)
Member of Middlesbrough Council
for Westbourne
In office
4 May 1995 – 6 May 1999
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
2020–2021Employment Rights and Protections
2016–2020Transport
Shadow Minister
2016–2016Rail
Personal details
Born
Andrew Joseph McDonald

(1958-03-08) 8 March 1958 (age 66)
Middlesbrough, England
Political partyLabour
Other political
affiliations		Socialist Campaign Group
Alma materLeeds Polytechnic (BA)
Websiteandymcdonaldmp.org

Andrew Joseph McDonald (born 8 March 1958) is a British Labour Party politician and solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (formerly Middlesbrough) since 2012.

McDonald served as Shadow Employment Secretary in Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet from 2020 until his resignation in 2021. Previously, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet from 2016 to 2020.

Early life and education

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Andrew McDonald was born on 8 March 1958,[1] in the Acklam area of Middlesbrough.[2]

He was educated at a number of local schools, including St. Francis Primary School, St. Edward's Primary School and St. George's Secondary School (which later became Trinity Catholic College, Middlesbrough). He attended St. Mary's Sixth Form College before studying a degree in law at Leeds Polytechnic.

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Upon completing his law degree, McDonald worked as a solicitor for over 25 years. He was a senior solicitor at the Middlesbrough office of Thompsons Solicitors and led the firm's Serious Injury Unit for the Cumbria, Humberside, North East and Yorkshire areas. He was also the firm's Head of Military Claims for members of the British Armed Forces.[3] Whilst working for the firm, McDonald acted as an adviser to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee for its 2003 report on Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation.[4] He has also served as both Chair and as Secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' Military Special Interest Group, and was a founder member of The Royal British Legion's Solicitors Group.[5]

Early political career

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McDonald was active in local politics in Middlesbrough for many years. He served as a Labour councillor for Westbourne ward from 1995 to 1999.[6] At the time of his selection as a parliamentary candidate, he was chairman of Middlesbrough Labour Party Local Government Committee.[7]

Labour shortlisted McDonald as a potential candidate for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the 2010 general election. However, Tom Blenkinsop was the eventual choice.[2]

Parliamentary career

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McDonald was elected to Parliament when he won the Middlesbrough by-election held on 29 November 2012, retaining the seat for Labour following the death of Sir Stuart Bell. McDonald increased the party's share of the vote to 60.5%, though his majority was reduced by 500 to 8,211.[8]

Since his election to Parliament, he has campaigned against the "Bedroom Tax" (part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012) and in favour of nationalisation of the East Coast Main Line franchise, arguing that the Scotland-London railway had been the only one in the country "which comes close to paying for itself" and that journey numbers, revenue and customer satisfaction had grown since nationalisation in 2009.[9]

In February 2013, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Attorney General. Following Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet reshuffle in October 2013, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chuka Umunna, in Umunna's role as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.[10]

At the 2015 general election, McDonald was re-elected with an increased vote share of 56.8% and an increased majority of 12,477.[11]

In January 2016, McDonald was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet to replace Jonathan Reynolds, who resigned as Shadow Minister for Rail in protest after Corbyn sacked Pat McFadden.[12]

In June 2016, he was promoted to Shadow Transport Secretary during Corbyn's post-Brexit Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.[13] In his time as Shadow Transport Secretary, McDonald oversaw the development of Labour's policy to nationalise the railways. On the 25th anniversary of the privatisation of the railways, McDonald said privatisation had failed since the taxpayer was "putting in even more money to the privatised system than when it was nationalised", and that nationalisation would allow a Labour government to cap fares and run the railways in the interest of passengers.[14]

At the snap 2017 general election, McDonald was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 65.7% and an increased majority of 13,873.[15]

In March 2018, McDonald was accused of comparing the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust by Karen Pollock, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust[16]

At the 2019 general election, McDonald was again re-elected, seeing his share of the vote decrease to 50.5% and his majority reduced to 8,395.[17]

In April 2020, incoming leader Keir Starmer moved McDonald to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections.[18] McDonald was the chair of Labour's "Power in the Workplace Taskforce" which provided input into Labour's Employment Rights' Green Paper published in September 2021. The paper stated that "Labour is demanding that the minimum wage is immediately raised to at least £10 per hour for all workers".[19] In September 2021, McDonald resigned as Shadow Secretary, citing lack of support from Starmer for an increase in the minimum wage to £15 per hour. He said he had been instructed by Starmer's office to argue at the Labour Party Conference "against a national minimum wage of £15 an hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage".[20]

In April 2023, using parliamentary privilege when speaking in the House of Commons, McDonald alleged "shocking, industrial-scale corruption" surrounding the Teesworks free port development near Redcar.[21][22] In May 2023, the government commissioned an independent review into the allegations.[23][24] In the subsequent report published in January 2024, the review found no evidence to support allegations of corruption or illegality whilst going on to make recommendations to improve governance and transparency of the project.[25]

In June 2023, McDonald condemned the government's proposal to house 1,500 asylum seekers on a barge, possibly in Middlesbrough.[26]

In October 2023, McDonald lost the Labour whip after using the phrase "between the river to the sea" at a pro-Palestine rally.[27] Consequently, he sat as an independent MP.[28][29][30] In early November 2023, McDonald announced that he would sue Conservative MP Chris Clarkson over his response to his comments.[31] McDonald had the Labour whip reinstated on 11 March 2024.[32] This was confirmed by a Labour Party spokesperson.[27] The party's investigation found that he had "not engaged in conduct that was against the party's rulebook".[27] In a statement McDonald said, "It was never my intention to use words that would cause anyone distress or anguish and I bitterly regret the pain and hurt caused. Accordingly, I will not use that phrasing again."[27]

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, McDonald's constituency of Middlesbrough was abolished, and replaced with Middlesbrough and Thornaby East. At the 2024 general election, McDonald was elected to Parliament as MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East with 47.2% of the vote and a majority of 9,192.[33][34]

Trustee and governor roles

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McDonald was a governor of Abingdon Primary School for fifteen years until 2010, and became a governor of Middlesbrough College in 2012.[5] He has also been chair of two charities in his constituency, the Davison Trust, which works with children with special needs, and the Teesside branch of Headway, which works with people with brain injuries.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Thompsons Solicitors LLP". Dellam Corporate Information. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Andy McDonald chosen as Middlesbrough Labour candidate in by-election to replace the late Sir Stuart Bell". Darlington and Stockton Times. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Andrew McDonald". Thompsons Solicitors. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  4. ^ "House of Commons Defence Committee: Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation :First Report of Session 2003–04 Volume I:Report, together with formal minutes" (PDF). The Stationery Office Limited. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Governing Body Membership:Mr Andrew McDonald College Governor". Middlesbrough College. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Black day for jobs; Your Say". Evening Gazette. 25 April 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Trade Union solicitor Andy McDonald will stand as Labour candidate in Middlesbrough bi-election". The Northern Echo. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  8. ^ "Middlesbrough by-election: Labour's Andy McDonald wins". BBC News. 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  9. ^ "East Coast railway line reprivatisation 'baffling' – MP". BBC News. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  10. ^ Dale, Sarah (11 December 2013). "'Nothing can prepare you for this': Andy McDonald looks back on first year as Middlesbrough MP". Teesside Live. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn finalises shadow cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn unveils new top team after resignations". BBC News. 27 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Privatising Britain's railways cost taxpayers £5bn per year and increased fares, Labour claims". The Independent. 5 November 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Election 2017: Middlesbrough". BBC. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  16. ^ Brown, Mike (26 March 2018). "Andy McDonald denies comparing Palestine situation to Holocaust amid Jeremy Corbyn anti-Semitism row". TessideLive. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Election of a Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough" (PDF). Middlesbrough Council. 15 November 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  18. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (9 April 2020). "Shadow ministers appointed as Starmer completes frontbench". LabourList. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  19. ^ McDonald, Andy; Rayner, Angela; Hussain, Imran (2021). Employment Rights Green Paper: A New Deal for Working People (PDF). Brighton: The Labour Party. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald quits in protest at Sir Keir Starmer". BBC News. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Mayor brands MP 'liar and a coward' in project row". BBC News. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  22. ^ Williams, Jennifer (16 May 2023). "Labour demands full investigation into Teesside freeport project". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  23. ^ Gill, Oliver (3 May 2023). "BP demands guarantee that Britain's biggest freeport is not corrupt". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Fresh Teesworks investigation ordered by government following 'corruption' allegations". Sky News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Independent review report: South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Joint Venture". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  26. ^ Frazer, Kayleigh (7 June 2023). "MP condemns 'out of touch' Middlesbrough barge proposals". Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  27. ^ a b c d "MP regains Labour whip after suspension for using pro-Palestinian phrase". BBC News. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Andy McDonald: Labour suspends MP after speech at pro-Palestinian rally". BBC News. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  29. ^ Boffey, Daniel (31 October 2023). "'From the river to the sea': where does the slogan come from and what does it mean?". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  30. ^ Gutteridge, Nick (30 October 2023). "Labour MP Andy McDonald suspended over 'between the river and the sea' speech". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  31. ^ Adu, Aletha (2 November 2023). "Andy McDonald sues Tory MP who accused him of 'seeking to justify' Hamas atrocity". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  32. ^ "'Parliamentary career for Andy McDonald – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament'". UK Parliament. 13 March 2024. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Election results". Middlesbrough Council. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Middlesbrough and Thornaby East results". 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andy McDonald (politician).
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough
2012–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
2024–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
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