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Simon Lightwood

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Simon Lightwood
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byGuy Opperman
Shadow Minister for Local Transport[a]
In office
27 September 2022 – 4 July 2024
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded bySam Tarry
Member of Parliament
for Wakefield and Rothwell
Wakefield (2022–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 June 2022
Preceded byImran Ahmad Khan
Majority9,346 (23.1%)
Personal details
Born
Simon Robert Lightwood

(1980-12-15) 15 December 1980 (age 44)
South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England
Political partyLabour and Co-operative[1]
Residence(s)Ossett, West Yorkshire, England
Alma materBretton Hall College
Websitewww.simonlightwood.org.uk

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]

Early life and education

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Lightwood was born in 1980 and grew up in South Shields.[7] After his family home was repossessed when he was aged 13, he 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

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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

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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.[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

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Lightwood lives in Ossett, Wakefield, with his husband and children, having pledged to move from his previous home in Calderdale to Wakefield following his election.[16][11]

Notes

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  1. ^ Shadow Minister for Buses and Taxis (2022–23)

References

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  1. ^ "Simon Lightwood". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Simon Robert Lightwood". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Wakefield by-election: Labour wins back Red Wall seat from Conservatives". Sky News. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Imran Ahmad Khan: MP resigns after being found guilty of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy". Sky News. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b Parsons, Rob (10 June 2022). "Wakefield by-election candidate says his family home was repossessed". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b Adu, Aletha (18 June 2022). "Labour's Wakefield candidate Simon Lightwood insists he's not an 'outsider'". The Mirror. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Meet the Labour candidate who is competing to become Wakefield's next MP". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Simon Lightwood / National Policy Forum / About Labour Policy Forum / Labour Policymaking". policyforum.labour.org.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Head of communications at NHS Trust chosen as Labour candidate in Wakefield by-election". Halifax Courier. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  12. ^ Airey, Tom (24 June 2022). "Wakefield by-election result: Labour defeat Tories to retake seat". BBC News. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  13. ^ Gardner, Tony (11 October 2022). "Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood joins Labour's shadow transport team just four months after by-election victory". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  14. ^ "General election results 2024 - Wakefield Council". www.wakefield.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Simon Lightwood MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). 25 May 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Wakefield
2022–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Wakefield and Rothwell
2024–present 		Incumbent
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