Jim McMahon is the Labour Co-operative MP for Oldham West and Royton, having first been elected to Parliament in a by-election in December 2015. He was re-elected with a majority of 11,127 in 2019.
The constituency of Oldham West and Royton has been held by the Labour Party ever since the Second World War, being represented for a long time by the veteran Labour MP, Michael Meacher. An ethnically diverse seat where over a quarter of the electorate are said to be of Asian descent, the British National Party retained their deposit in this constituency in both 2005 and 2010.
McMahon was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in November 2021.
McMahon appeared to be demoted from the post in Keir Starmer’s September 2023 reshuffle. In his resignation letter, McMahon cited health concerns and threats he had received while serving in the shadow cabinet.
McMahon’s resignation letter essentially kicked off the reshuffle, as he was the first to announce he would not be serving in Keir Starmer’s top team.
His former opposite number, Thérèse Coffey, was spotted buying McMahon a bottle of champagne on parliament’s terrace after he left his post as Labour’s DEFRA spokesperson.
He previously sat in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport between 2020 and 2021.
He became the Chair of the Co-operative Party in October 2020.
Born in 1980, Jim McMahon is the son of a truck driver. He left school at 16 and worked initially as a technician at Manchester University. He later worked as a Town Centre Manager before being elected to Parliament.
McMahon served on Oldham Council between 2003 and 2016. He was leader of the council between 2011 and 2016. He was awarded an OBE for services to the community in Oldham.
McMahon supported Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership election. He supported Owen Smith in his 2016 challenge to Jeremy Corbyn.
He is a campaigner for reducing the voting age. In 2017, he attempted to bring forward a Private Members Bill at Westminster to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote.
Jim McMahon is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Greater Manchester, Industrial Heritage, Social Integration, Apprenticeships, Kashmir, Challenger Banks and Building Societies.
Email – jim.mcmahon.mp@parliament.uk
Website – http://www.jimmcmahon.co.uk/
Twitter – @JimfromOldham
