Peter Dowd MP - Who is he?

Peter Dowd was first elected as the Labour Party MP for Bootle in 2015, being reelected in 2019 with a massive majority of 34,556.

The constituency of Bootle is a compact and deprived constituency found on the coast, to the north of Liverpool. In this seat, income levels are well below the national average and there is a high proportion of social housing. It contains the communities of Seaforth, Crosby, Orrell, Netherton, and Bootle itself. Bootle has been held by Labour since 1945, and for many years, Labour her possessed the largest percentage majority anywhere in the UK.

Even in the Conservative landslide year of 2019, Labour polled almost 80% of the vote in Bootle. In the Twenty First Century, the Labour seat of Bootle has good claim to be the safest constituency for any party in the country.

Peter Dowd served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury under Jeremy Corbyn between 2017 and 2020.

Born in Bootle in 1957, Dowd was educated at the University of Liverpool and Lancaster University. He worked as a social worker before being elected to Westminster.

Dowd has two great uncles who have been Labour MPs, Simon Mahon and Peter Mahon.

Dowd’s political career started in 1981, when he became a Merseyside County Councillor, a role he held until 1986. He served on Sefton Council between 1991 and 2015, being Leader of the Council between 2011 and 2014.

Considered to be on the left of the Labour Party, Dowd backed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour leadership election.

Peter Dowd is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Health. He Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Transport Across the North; and Italy; and Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing.