- Andrew Western was first elected as the Labour MP for Stretford & Urmston in a December 2022 by-election, doing so with a majority of 9,606. He succeeded Kate Green, who stood down from Westminster in November 2022 to become the deputy mayor Manchester.
The constituency of Stretford and Urmston is found immediately to the south west of the city of Manchester and includes the Labour voting area of Stretford and the more Conservative leaning area of Davyhulme. This seat contains the vast retail Trafford Centre retail park, as well the Old Trafford cricket ground, and Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium. This area of Manchester has been held comfortably by Labour ever since 1997, with the party increasing its majority to well over 15,000 in the last two General Elections.
Born in 1985, Western studied history at Sheffield University. He previously worked as a project manager in the engineering industry, with an emphasis on transport infrastructure.
Before being elected to Westminster, Andrew Western had been the Labour leader of Trafford Council between 2019 and 2022. Before Labour gained control of the council in 2019, he was the Leader of the Labour Group between 2014 and 2019. He was first elected to the council in 2011.
- He has also served as a non executive director at Trafford Housing Trust.
Western had previously stood for parliament as the Labour candidate in Altrincham and Sale in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections. This previously safe Conservative part of the Trafford Council area has become a more marginal constituency in recent years.
Born in Manchester, Western was educated at Altrincham Grammar School, and lives in the village of Flixton in his constituency. He joined the labour party at the age of 17.
Western supported Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour leadership election, and Lisa Nandy in the 2020 contest.
Twitter: @AndrewHWestern
