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Jim Dickson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forDartford | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Gareth Johnson |
| Leader ofLambeth Council | |
| In office September 1994 – March 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Tuffrey |
| Succeeded by | Tom Franklin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Rowan Chatterton Dickson (1964-01-16)16 January 1964 (age 61) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Domestic partner | Nicola |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
Jim Dickson is a BritishLabour Party politician who has served as theMember of Parliament (MP) forDartford since2024. He served as thelocal councillor forHerne Hill & Loughborough Junction ward in the London Borough of Lambeth for over 20 years. He was also Leader ofLambeth Council between 1994 and 2000.
At the2024 general election, Dickson defeatedGareth Johnson of theConservative Party in thelongest standing bellwether seat, having previously led Lambeth Council, served as Politics Director at consultancy firm Four Communications, and been a Director atCanning Town-based charity the Thames Festival Trust.[1] Jim Dickson is one of twoLambeth Councillors to have gone on to become Labour MP for Dartford, the first being his predecessorJennie Adamson in 1938 - Dartford's wartime MP who also served in the Attlee government - who had previously served on theLondon County Council forLambeth North.
Dickson was educated atWellington College, Berkshire, andJesus College, Cambridge, where he readSocial and Political Sciences.[2] Whilst at Cambridge he was elected as Chair of theCambridge University Labour Club. From 1989, Dickson worked for the London Housing Unit as a Senior Policy Officer for ten years. In 1998 he was a Visiting Lecturer at theUniversity of Westminster until 2000.Between 2000 and 2003 he worked as an Associate forWeber Shandwick. He previously worked for the consultancy firm Four Communications as Politics Director.[3][4] He is a member of theAssociation of Professional Political Consultants.[5]
Dickson was first elected as a Councillor forHerne Hill in the1990 Lambeth London Borough Council election, and he became the Leader ofLambeth Council in 1994.[6]
Dickson has held various cabinet positions on theLambeth Borough Council (such as Voluntary and Community Sectors, Finance and Health and Social Care).[3][7][8] He was leading Lambeth's Labour Group when it was praised as being "more New Labour thanNew Labour" by former Prime MinisterSir Tony Blair.[9] He is a member ofProgressive Britain.[5]
In 2016 Dickson faced public ire during protests against the council's cuts to libraries, as well as their plans to turnCarnegie Library into a gym.[10][11] The library was occupied for nine days by protestors after it was closed in March 2016, after which they voluntarily left the building and the occupation ended with a protest march toBrixton Library.[12][13] It is worth noting that both of these libraries were never closed, with Carnegie Library getting a new café.[14]
During his tenure in Lambeth Council, they introduced various schemes that aimed to tackle the area’s poor health and heightened levels ofinequality. Their attempts at tackling food poverty included being part of a 2017 initiative that made Lambeth the first council to sign the Declaration on Sugar Reduction and Healthier Food;[15] and in 2022 he, alongside other Lambeth colleagues, called on the Government to take greater action against food poverty.[16]
He was also involved in a series of measures introduced by Lambeth Council aimed at addressingLGBT+ health and wellbeing, and was a signatory to a letter addressing the Government’s negligence of LGBT+ health in the wake of themonkeypox outbreak.[17] Towards the end of his time at Lambeth Borough Council, he was also able to help secure £5 million towards health research funding in the borough.[18]
At the2001 General Election he was Labour's candidate inOld Bexley and Sidcup.[19]
At the2024 General Election, Dickson was elected as theMP forDartford. His key election policy was 'Taking Pride in Dartford', an initiative to revitalise Dartford's high streets and cultural scene. Since being elected to parliament, Dickson has attracted local attention to his campaign to get theA226 Galley Hill Road rebuilt and reopened.[20] In 2024, he called for additional government funding towardsdementia, citing challenges with the disease in his own family.[21] In November 2024, Dickson was among 34 MPs who signed a letter demanding that the management agency FirstPort face scrutiny in parliament.[22] He voted in favour of legalisingassisted dying. In 2025, in the wake of videos circulating on TikTok of animals being harmed by catapults, Jim Dickson called for increased powers for the police to be able to confiscate catapults from under 18s.[23] In October 2025, he was elected on to theTreasury Select Committee.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDartford 2024–present | Incumbent |
