Andrew Pakes | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forPeterborough | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Bristow |
| Majority | 118 (0.2%) |
| Southwark Borough Councillor for Livesey Ward | |
| In office 4 May 2006 – 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Porter |
| Succeeded by | Michael Situ |
| 48thPresident of the National Union of Students | |
| In office 1998–2000 | |
| Preceded by | Douglas Trainer |
| Succeeded by | Owain James |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrew Stone (1973-04-24)24 April 1973 (age 52) Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Party | Labour Co-op |
| Education | Ousedale School |
| Alma mater | University of Hull (BA,MSc) |
Andrew Elliot Pakes[1] (born 24 April 1973 asAndrew Stone) is a British politician who has served asMember of Parliament (MP) forPeterborough since 2024. A member of theLabour and Co-operative Party, he previously served as the 48th President of theNational Union of Students (NUS) from 1998 to 2000.
Pakes was born[2] and grew up inNewport Pagnell,Borough of Milton Keynes,Buckinghamshire. He was educated atOusedale School, before going on to theUniversity of Hull where he completed aBachelor's degree in Politics and aMaster's degree in Environmental Management.[3]
An active member ofLabour Students, he was on the national executive of the National Union of Students from 1996 to 2000 and was twice elected the national president of NUS, serving in the role from 1998 to 2000.[3] He had previously served as the organisation's National Treasurer from 1997 to 1998.[4] Pakes was the second openlygay individual to be elected NUS president afterStephen Twigg (who was president from 1990 to 1992).[5]
After his term as NUS president, Pakes worked for theAssociation of University Teachers (AUT, now part of theUniversity and College Union), and for the then-Deputy Mayor of London,Nicky Gavron. He later worked as a consultant on environmental and transport policy, and served as Chair of theSocialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA, a Labour-linked environmental campaign)[2] and as a member of the Labour Party'sNational Policy Forum, representing the affiliatedsocialist societies. He was aCouncillor in theLondon Borough of Southwark from2006 to2010, standing down in that year to contest theMilton Keynes North parliamentary seat.
He was a special adviser toMary Creagh, working with the shadow DEFRA team.[6] He was the initial head of PR for theBritish Kebab Awards.[citation needed]
He previously worked as Head of Communications, Organising and External Affairs at the science and engineering trade union,Prospect. He was formerly inpublic affairs at Tetra Strategy,[6] and earlier worked forConnect Public Affairs.[2] Among his voluntary positions, he served as a Trustee of theNational Energy Foundation, a Milton Keynes-based charity, from June 2017 to April 2018.[7]
From 2019 to 2022 Pakes was a trustee ofStonewall, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity.[8] He was also a Board Member at CDS Co-Operatives, providing social housing and co-op housing services in London and the South East of England.
Pakes stood as theLabour and Co-operative Party parliamentary candidate in the constituency ofMilton Keynes North at the2010 general election,[9] where he was defeated by theConservative Party candidateMark Lancaster on a swing of 9.2%. This was one of the largest swings from Labour to the Conservatives recorded in the United Kingdom during the 2010 general election.
Pakes was selected as Labour Co-op's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate forMilton Keynes South in the 2015 general election. Pakes went on to lose this election toIain Stewart of the Conservative Party, with Stewart increasing his majority by almost 3,500 votes.
In July 2022, Pakes was selected as the Labour Co-op candidate for the marginal Conservative seat ofPeterborough, in preparation for the next general election.[10]
In April 2025, he spoke withFE News about the need for a robust apprenticeship system in the United Kingdom that aligns with the industrial strategy, addressing the skills gap in the workforce.[11] In May 2025, Pakes spoke during a House of Commons debate, and urged the Home Secretary,Yvette Cooper, to end the use of one of Peterborough's hotels to house 146 people seeking asylum.[12] Later that month, he urgedPeterborough City Council to build an Olympic-sized swimming pool in the city. He said, "I believe we can get an indoor swimming pool built in Peterborough within five years. It should be built on the site of the now closed Peterborough Regional Pool as the council already owns the land. We need to be ambitious."[13] In September 2025, he wrote to theEnergy Minister,Michael Shanks, requesting a meeting together with a group of Prospect energy reps to discuss urgent issues of resiliency in the UK's electricity network.[14]
UK Parliament elections
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Milton Keynes North | Labour Co-op | 14,458 | 26.8 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2015 | Milton Keynes South | Labour Co-op | 18,929 | 32.1 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2024 | Peterborough | Labour Co-op | 13,418 | 32.0 | Elected | |
Southwark Borough Council elections
| Date of election | Ward | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Livesey | Labour Party | 1,698 | 45.9 | Elected | |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the National Union of Students 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
