Jim McMahon | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution | |||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 6 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Simon Hoare | ||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament forOldham West, Chadderton and Royton Oldham West and Royton (2015–2024) | |||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 3 December 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Michael Meacher | ||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 4,976 (12.9%)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Chair of theCo-operative Party | |||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 3 October 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chris Herries | ||||||||||||||||
| Leader ofOldham Council | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 May 2011 – 16 January 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Howard Sykes | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jean Stretton | ||||||||||||||||
| Member ofOldham Council forFailsworth East | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 20 November 2003 – January 2017 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Charles Glover | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Paul Jaques | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Ignatius O'Rourke McMahon (1980-07-07)7 July 1980 (age 44) Miles Platting,Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour Co-op | ||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Failsworth,Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Website | jimmcmahon | ||||||||||||||||
James Ignatius O'Rourke McMahonOBE (born 7 July 1980) is a British politician who has served asMinister of State for Local Government and English Devolution since July 2024.[2][3] A member ofLabour Co-op, he has served asMember of Parliament (MP) forOldham West and Royton since 2015 and as the Chair of theCo-operative Party since 2020.
McMahon was a Councillor from 2003 to 2017, serving asLeader ofOldham Metropolitan Borough Council from 2011 to 2016.[4] He served in theshadow cabinet asShadow Transport Secretary from 2020 to 2021, andShadow Environment Secretary from 2021 to 2023.[5]
McMahon was born inMiles Platting,Manchester, to William McMahon, a lorry driver and Alicia O'Rourke (Breffni).[6] The family moved fromCheetham Hill when he was a child toMiddleton, where he attendedsecondary school.[7] He left school at the age of sixteen.[6]
McMahon started work in 1997 as an apprentice technician atManchester University, rising to become asenior technician before leaving in 2004. He then joined local government service as aregeneration officer and latterly as a town centre manager.[8][9]
.jpg)
McMahon was first elected as a Member ofOldham Metropolitan Borough Council forFailsworth East in a by-election on 20 November 2003. He held various posts on Oldham Council before becoming the council's Labour group leader in 2008 after theLiberal Democrats won control of the authority. At the2011 local elections, Labour re-gained control of the council and McMahon became its leader.[10] As council leader McMahon sat as one of the 11 members of theGreater Manchester Combined Authority with responsibility for transport.[11]
McMahon was the inaugural chairman of the Co-operative Council Innovation Network and served as theLabour leader of theLocal Government Association.[12] McMahon was named the 6th most influential person in local government byTheLocal Government Chronicle ahead of seniorgovernment ministers.[13]
In August 2014, McMahon was elected to represent Labour councillors on the party'sNational Executive Committee (NEC).[11][14]
In the2015 Labour leadership election, McMahon was reported to have supportedLiz Kendall's leadership bid.[15]
In 2016, McMahon stood down as council leader and was replaced by his Deputy, Jean Stretton.[16] He resigned his council seat in 2017, triggering a by-election on 16 February 2017.[17][18]
McMahon won the selection to beLabour Party candidate at the2015 Oldham West and Royton by-election following the death of incumbentMichael Meacher.[19] At the by-election held on 3 December 2015, McMahon was electedMember of Parliament forOldham West and Royton, with 62% of the vote – an increase of seven percentage points since the2015 general election.[20] At the by-election McMahon represented just the Labour Party rather than his later Labour and Co-operative Party affiliation.[21]
He served asParliamentary Private Secretary to theDeputy Leader of the Labour Party[22] until being appointed to serve as Shadow Minister for Local Government and Devolution.[23] He supportedOwen Smith in the failed attempt to replaceJeremy Corbyn in the2016 Labour leadership election.[24]
FollowingKeir Starmer's election as Leader of the Labour Party, McMahon was appointedShadow Secretary of State for Transport. On 29 November 2021, he was reshuffled to the role ofShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He has sat on Labour'sNational Executive Committee on behalf of the shadow frontbench.[25] He resigned his post on 4 September 2023 ahead of that day'sshadow cabinet reshuffle, citing ill health,[26][27] but returned to the frontbench as Shadow Minister for English Devolution and Local Government in November 2023, replacing Sarah Owen as Shadow Minister for Local Government and Paula Barker as Shadow Minister for Devolution, both of whom resigned from the frontbench after defying the whip to vote for an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.[28]
On being selected to present a Private Member's Bill, McMahon moved the Representation of the People (Young People's Enfranchisement and Education) Bill 2017–19,[29] which sought to extend the franchise across the United Kingdom toeligible voters aged 16 and 17.[30] The bill included measures to introduce citizenship and the constitution education in schools.[31] The bill received its Second Reading in November 2017, but did not progress any further.[32] It led to the establishment of the cross-party All-Party Parliamentary Group on Votes at 16.[33]
McMahon lives with Charlene Duerden inFailsworth. They have two children.[34]
In February 2014, McMahon was named "Council Leader of the Year" during the Councillor Achievement Awards hosted by theLocal Government Information Unit.[11] He was credited with leading improvements inOldham Metropolitan Borough Council having redesignated it as a Co-operative Council.[35] Also in 2014,University Centre Oldham conferred upon himHonorary Fellowship,[36] as well as being elected aFellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).[37]
McMahon was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2015 Birthday Honours for "services to the community in Oldham",[38][39] and was invested byPrince Charles, on 18 December 2015.[40]
In November 2017, he was named as the Youth Voice Champion by theBritish Youth Council following his work on the Votes at 16 campaign.[41]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Howard Sykes | Leader ofOldham Council 2011–2016 | Succeeded by Jean Stretton |
| Preceded by | Shadow Minister for Local Government 2016–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Transport 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forOldham West and Royton 2015–2024 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forOldham West, Chadderton and Royton 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Chris Herries | Chair of theCo-operative Party 2020–present | Incumbent |
| Cabinet members | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Also attending meetings | ||
| Departures | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |