Stuart James Andrew (born 25 November 1971) is a BritishConservative Party politician who has served asShadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since July 2025.[1] He has also been theMember of Parliament (MP) forDaventry inNorthamptonshire since 2024. He was previously MP forPudsey inWest Yorkshire from2010 until the constituency was abolished before the July 2024 election.
Andrew was born inAnglesey, Wales. He was a councillor onWrexham County Borough Council from 1995 to 1999. Elected as a Conservative, he defected to theLabour Party in 1998 before rejoining the Conservative Party in 2000. He was a councillor onLeeds City Council from 2003 to 2010. He was elected for Pudsey at the2010 general election. He was aParliamentary Under-Secretary of State underTheresa May. He served in four positions underBoris Johnson, asVice-Chamberlain of the Household from 2019 to 2020;Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons from 2020 to 2022;Minister of State for Housing from February to July 2022, andMinister of State for Prisons and Probation from July to September 2022.[2] He was appointedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society in September 2022 byLiz Truss. He was retained in the position and was also appointedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities byRishi Sunak in October 2022.[3][4]
Stuart Andrew was born on 25 November 1971 inAnglesey. He was state educated atYsgol David Hughes inMenai Bridge. After leaving school he worked for theDepartment of Social Security. In 1994 he took a job with theBritish Heart Foundation, before roles at Hope House Children's Hospice and East Lancashire Hospice. Before being elected to Parliament he led the fundraising team forMartin House Hospice.[5]
Andrew was first elected as aConservative councillor to represent the Maesydre ward onWrexham County Borough Council in 1995. He stood unsuccessfully as aparliamentary candidate forWrexham in the1997 general election. In 1998, he left the Conservatives and defected to theLabour Party, citing issues with the "direction of the party". Andrew was re-elected as a Labour councillor in 1999, but resigned from the council later in the year.[6][7][8]
Andrew was elected to Parliament as MP forPudsey in the2010 general election with 38.5% of the vote and a majority of 1,659.[9][10]
Andrew served on theWelsh Affairs Select Committee between November 2010 and November 2012.[11][12]
On 22 February 2012 Andrew was headbutted and punched in a House of Commons bar during a disturbance created by Scottish Labour MPEric Joyce,[13] tweeting the next day that "I'm OK".[14] Joyce was charged with common assault,[15] with a fourth charge added on 9 March,[16] and he was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 in compensation to Andrew and other victims, but not given a custodial sentence.[16] In a statement before the House of Commons on 12 March 2012, Joyce apologised personally to his victims, stated that he had resigned from the Labour Party, and that he intended to complete his current term as an MP but not seek re-election.[17]
In September 2012, Andrew brought forward a bill that would create a new power for governors to "destroy or otherwise dispose of any unauthorised property found within a prison or an escort vehicle". The bill was supported both by the government and the Labour Party, withShadow Secretary of State for JusticeSadiq Khan saying he backed the bill.[18]
During the debates on theMarriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which he subsequently voted for, Andrew responded to comments fromGerald Howarth about "aggressive homosexuals" by telling of a time when he had been attacked in the street and beaten unconscious "because of who and what I am".[19]
At the2015 general election, Andrew was re-elected as MP for Pudsey with an increased vote share of 46.4% and an increased majority of 4,501.[20][21]
In January 2016, Andrew was one of 72 MPs who voted down an amendment in Parliament on rental homes being "fit for human habitation" who were themselves landlords who derived an income from a property.[22]
In May 2016, it emerged that Andrew was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the2015 general election party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[23] However, in May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[24]
Andrew supportedBrexit in the2016 referendum.[25]
Andrew was appointed vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, with particular responsibility for cities, on 23 September 2016.[26]
At the snap2017 general election, Andrew was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 47.4% and a decreased majority of 331.[27] At the2019 general election, Andrew was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 48.8% and an increased majority of 3,517.[28]
Andrew was elected to Parliament as MP forDaventry at the2024 general election with 33.7% of the vote and a majority of 3,012.[29]
Andrew became Assistant Whip (HM Treasury) in June 2017 andParliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office) in January 2018, before moving to be Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence).[11]
In July 2019, Andrew wrote toBradford Council to oppose plans to introduce a new link road in south eastBradford, impacting the Pudsey constituency.[30]
In October 2019, on both 14 October and 19 December, Andrew was ceremonially taken hostage bythe Queen at Buckingham Palace for the duration of her speeches to Parliament.[31]
In theFebruary 2020 reshuffle he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip and promoted toTreasurer of the Household.[32]
On 10 September 2020, Andrew stood in forJacob Rees-Mogg asActing Leader of the House of Commons in Business Questions as Rees-Mogg was self-isolating awaiting the results of aCOVID-19 test on his son.[33][34]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic emergency arrangements, he held a large number ofproxy votes for other Conservative MPs, and at one stage in 2021 personally controlled 333 votes (a majority) in the House of Commons.[35] He did not always cast these proxy votes the same way, instead following the instructions of individual MPs.[36]
He was sworn of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom in 2021.[37]
In a cabinet reshuffle on 8 February 2022, Andrew was appointedMinister of State for Housing.[38]
On 6 July 2022, Andrew resigned from the role ofMinister of State for Housing due to the scandals involving the formerConservative Party leader andPrime MinisterBoris Johnson, most recently theChris Pincher scandal.[39][40] He stated that "There comes a time when you have to look at your own personal integrity and that time is now. Therefore, given recent events I have no other choice to resign. Our party, particularly our members and more importantly our great country, deserve better".[40]
On 8 September 2022, Andrew was appointed asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society.[41] His role includes
On 27 October 2022, Andrew was appointed to a second ministerial position, asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities.[41]
Andrew was namedShadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in theJuly 2025 shadow cabinet reshuffle.[42]
Andrew is openly gay and a patron ofLGBT+ Conservatives.[43][44] During the2022 FIFA World Cup, Andrew expressed his support for theOneLove campaign by publicly wearing an armband at the England vs Wales game.[45][46]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Stuart Andrew | 26,453 | 48.8 | +1.4 | |
| Labour | Jane Aitchison | 22,936 | 42.3 | −4.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ian Dowling | 3,088 | 5.7 | +2.4 | |
| Green | Quinn Daley | 894 | 1.6 | New | |
| Yorkshire | Bob Buxton | 844 | 1.6 | −0.5 | |
| Majority | 3,517 | 6.5 | +5.8 | ||
| Turnout | 54,215 | 74.1 | −0.2 | ||
| Conservativehold | Swing | +2.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Stuart Andrew | 17,872 | 33.7 | −30.8 | |
| Labour | Marianne Kimani | 14,860 | 28.0 | +10.2 | |
| Reform | Scott Cameron | 10,636 | 20.0 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Harris | 6,755 | 12.7 | −0.4 | |
| Green | Clare Slater | 2,959 | 5.6 | +1.0 | |
| Majority | 3,012 | 5.7 | −39.8 | ||
| Turnout | 53,082 | 65.9 | −8.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 80,879 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | −19.9 | |||
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPudsey 2010–2024 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDaventry 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement 2018–2019 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Household Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons 2020–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Housing 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons 2024 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Conservative Deputy Chief Whip in theHouse of Commons 2020–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Conservative Chief Whip of theHouse of Commons 2024 | Succeeded by |
