Chris Webb | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forBlackpool South | |
| Assumed office 2 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Benton |
| Majority | 6,868 (19.6%) |
| DeputyPolice and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire | |
| In office December 2018 – May 2021 | |
| Commissioner | Clive Grunshaw |
| Preceded by | Ibrahim Master |
| Succeeded by | Andy Pratt |
| Member ofManchester City Council forNorthenden | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 3 May 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Cowell |
| Succeeded by | Sam Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Paul Webb (1986-04-26)26 April 1986 (age 39) Blackpool,Lancashire, England |
| Party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Hull |
| Website | www |
Christopher Paul Webb[1] (born 26 April 1986) is a BritishLabour Party politician who has beenMember of Parliament (MP) forBlackpool South since2024.[2]
Christopher Webb was born on 26 April 1986 inBlackpool Victoria Hospital, and attended Layton Primary School andSt Mary's High School.[3][4] He is the son of a local postman and a teaching assistant.[5]
He studied British politics and legislative studies at theUniversity of Hull, and while at university was the president of Hull UniversityRugby League (HURL) Club and a member of thestudents' union council.[6]
Growing up, Webb worked across Blackpool in the hospitality and tourism industry starting at the age of 14 where he worked in a souvenir shop on Blackpool Promenade.[7]
Webb served as a Councillor onManchester City Council from 2015 to 2018.[8] During his time on the council, he was stranded in Belgium following the2016 Brussels bombings, whilst on a delegation to theEuropean Parliament.[9]
At the snap2017 general election, Webb stood as the Labour candidate inBlackpool North and Cleveleys, coming second with 44.5 per cent of the vote behind the incumbentConservative MPPaul Maynard.[10]
Webb was appointedDeputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire in 2018 and was the youngest DPCC in the country.[11]
Webb stood again as Labour candidate in Blackpool North and Cleveleys at the2019 general election, again coming second with 35.5 per cent of the vote behind Maynard.[12]
In August 2023, Webb was selected as Labour'sprospective parliamentary candidate forBlackpool South at the2024 general election.[13][14] Following the resignation of the incumbent Conservative MPScott Benton, Webb became the Labour candidate in the2024 Blackpool South by-election.[15]
At the Blackpool South by-election on 2 May, the same day aslocal elections across England,[16] Webb was elected with 58.9 per cent of the vote and a majority of 7,607.[17] Webb was the first Blackpool South MP to have been born in the constituency for 60 years.[18] Labour leader Keir Starmer called the result “truly historic” with Webb winning the seat with the third biggest swing from the Conservatives to Labour in postwar history.[19]
Webb was sworn intoParliament on 7 May 2024.[20] On 22 May 2024 thenPrime MinisterRishi Sunak called a general election to be held on 4 July. Webb was in office just 24 days during which he raised four Parliamentary questions[21] and delivered his maiden speech on 24 May – the last day of Parliament before it was dissolved for the election campaign.[22] In it he traced his family history back 500 years to an ancestor he claimed saved the life ofHenry VIII and described himself as "a child of tourism" – his mother having moved to Blackpool to become aButlins Redcoat.[23]
At the2024 general election, Webb was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Blackpool South with a vote share of 48.1% and a majority of 6,868.[24]
Prior to his election Webb worked to alleviatechild poverty in Blackpool which has one of the highest rates in the country – nearly 44% in 2022-23.[25]
On 13th November 2024 Webb held anadjournment debate in the House of Commons oninfant formula regulations as part of a campaign to make infant formula more affordable and accessible.[26][27] In January 2025 theDepartment of Health and Social Care confirmed in a letter to Webb thatfood banks could provide formula to families and that families are able to use food bank and supermarket vouchers to purchase it.[28]
In March 2025 he published a report on the Impact of the Cost of Living on Childhood in Blackpool South, based on the experiences of parents and those working with families in Blackpool.[29] The report was presented to the Child Poverty Taskforce to inform its Child Poverty Strategy.
Webb had been critical of the Government’s approach towelfare reform ahead of the March 2025Spring Statement.[30] In theHouse of Commons he shared his concerns about the impact of the reforms on child poverty in his constituency.[31] The government's impact assessment of the reforms showed they could push 50,000 more children in poverty.[32]
In September 2025, Webb publicly called on the Government to abolish thetwo child benefit cap and rethink its approach to tackling child poverty.[33]
Webb was chair of Blackpoolmental health charity Counselling in the Community from 2018 until his election.[34]
Webb has advocated for more mental health support for Blackpool which, in 2022-23, had the highest prevalence of GP-diagnosed depression in England, with 21.6% of the population suffering.[35] He has raised the issue several times in Parliament, calling on the government to empower local mental charities rather than relying on the private sector to clear the NHS backlog, and paying tribute to Blackpool man Jamie Pearson who committed suicide while waiting for mental health support in Blackpool Victoria Hospital's Emergency Department.[36]
In January 2025 Webb was elected Vice Chair of theAll-Party Parliamentary Group for Mental Health.[37]
Webb was DeputyPolice and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire. As MP he has advocated for more community police officers for Blackpool South.[38] He used his first question in the House of Commons to talk aboutknife crime in his constituency after 2024 figures showed a 416% increase under the then Conservative government.[39]
Webb is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group forBoxing and has advocated for investment in grassroots boxing gyms in tackling anti-social behaviour.[40]
In his maiden speech Webb called himself "a child of tourism".[41] His first job was working on a stall on Blackpool Promenade.[7]
He has repeatedly criticisedUnited Utilities forsewage dumping in Blackpool sea as a threat to tourism, health, wellbeing and local pride.[42]
In September 2024 Webb was elected chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism and Hospitality.[7] The same month he hosted theSecretary for State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in Blackpool to discuss tourism.
In March 2025 Webb joined a group of 66 Labour MPs representing coastal communities with an aim to secure the investment and attention for them.[43] On 20 March 2025 he spoke in a debate on coastal communities in the House of Commons calling for a 12.5%VAT reduction for hospitality and tourism businesses and a cross-government strategy dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing and prosperity of these areas.[44]
Webb has been a volunteer at Blackpool Food Project – which runs Blackpool Food Bank – since 2017[45] a charity he has also fundraised for.[46] Webb's constituency office is a trusted partner of the charity, meaning it can distribute food parcels to constituents in need.[47]
Prior to his election, Webb was chair of trustees of a local mental health charity, Counselling in the Community,[48][49] and is currently a trustee of humanitarian aid children's charity,CWUHA.[50][51][52]
Webb ran the Great North Run on 7 September 2014 raising over £500 for the CWUHA.[53]
Webb ran theLondon Marathon twice – in 2016, raising £3,000 for the CWUHA,[54] and in 2022, raising money for the for theRoyal British Legion.[3][55][56]
Webb took part in awhite-collar boxing fight in Blackpool on 24th March 2019 raising £1,000 forCancer Research.[57]
Webb launched a fundraiser in October 2020 after the Conservative government voted against extending free school meals for children during the school holidays.[58][59] Webb raised over £14,000 in 72 hours, which provided emergency food parcels for families that half-term living in Blackpool.Marcus Rashford MBE praised the fundraiser.[60]
Webb was awarded a Local Hero Award in 2021 for his charity work during the pandemic.[8]
In April 2022 Webb co-led a Ukraine refuge convoy with other volunteers from CWUHA, driving from Blackpool to Poland. The convoy included a 40 foot artic wagon and support wagon. The convoy travelled more than 1,300 miles and delivered over 20 tonnes of high-quality humanitarian aid toUkrainian Refugees at the Caritas International hub inPoznań.[61]
Webb's wife, Portia Webb, was elected as a Labour councillor for the ward of Tyldesley at the2023 Blackpool Council election.[13][62] They married in 2019 and have a son Cillian, born in 2024.[3]
Webb was diagnosed withdyslexia at the age of 18, while at university.[13]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Our Chair of Trustees, Chris Webb
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBlackpool South 2024–present | Incumbent |