Damien Egan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forBristol North East Kingswood (2024) | |
| Assumed office 15 February 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Skidmore |
| Majority | 11,167 (26.6%) |
| Mayor of Lewisham | |
| In office 7 May 2018 – 9 January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Bullock |
| Succeeded by | Brenda Dacres |
| Member ofLewisham London Borough Council forLewisham Central | |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 3 May 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Damien James Egan (1982-07-08)8 July 1982 (age 43) Cork, County Cork, Ireland |
| Party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Friends of Israel |
| Spouse | Yossi Felberbaum |
| Education | Hanham High School |
| Alma mater | St Mary's University College, Twickenham (BA) |
| Website | https://www.damienegan.com |
Damien James Egan (born 8 July 1982) is a BritishLabour politician serving as theMember of Parliament (MP) forBristol North East, previouslyKingswood, since2024. He was previously theMayor of Lewisham inGreater London from 2018 to 2024.
Damien James Egan[1] was born on 8 July 1983[2][3] inCork, Ireland, and grew up in northeastBristol, England.[4] During his childhood, his family became homeless and lived in temporary accommodation.[5]
Egan attended Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School andHanham High School. He studied atSt Mary's University College inTwickenham[5] before moving toLewisham after graduating.[4]
From 2003 to 2007, Egan was a parish councillor on Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council in Bristol before he moved to London.[3][6]
Elected as a councillor forLewisham Central in 2010, Egan was appointedLewisham London Borough Council's cabinet member for housing in 2014.[7]
In 2017, Egan was selected as the Labour Party's candidate for thedirectly elected mayoral elections in Lewisham in May 2018.[8] He was elected Mayor of Lewisham with 54 per cent of the vote. In the 2022 mayoral elections, Egan was re-elected with an increased majority and 58 per cent of the vote.[9]
Egan is a trustee of the Jewish Museum London.[10]
Egan wasMayor of Lewisham from 7 May 2018 to 9 January 2024.[11] His priorities included schools, council homes, parks, climate action and making Lewisham the firstBorough of Sanctuary in May 2021.[12]
As mayor, Egan worked with the London Community Land Trust[13] andCitizens UK to develop a community land trust providing affordable homes for Lewisham residents.[14] Egan also supported other community land trust projects across Lewisham including London's largest self-build affordable housing project.[15]
Egan faced accusations of forcing out Lewisham Council CEOIan Thomas (then the only black chief executive of a local council) in November 2018, who had only been in post for seven months.[16] Protests about his departure led to police being called to a council meeting.[17]
At the2005 general election, Egan stood as the Labour candidate forWeston-super-Mare, finishing third with 18.7 per cent of the vote behind theConservative candidateJohn Penrose and theLiberal Democrat candidateBrian Cotter.[18]
At the2010 general election, Egan stood as the Labour candidate forBeckenham, where he finished third with 14.5 per cent of the vote behind the Conservatives'Bob Stewart and the Liberal Democrats.[19]
In July 2023, Egan was selected as Labour'sprospective parliamentary candidate forBristol North East.[20] He defeated Bristol mayorMarvin Rees to win the candidacy for the new seat, which was established due to boundary changes at the2024 general election.
On 15 February 2024, he became MP for Kingswood inSouth Gloucestershire at theKingswood by-election, following the resignation of the Conservative MPChris Skidmore.[21] Egan was elected with 44.9% of the vote and a majority of 2,501.[22][23]
Due to the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Egan's constituency ofKingswood was abolished, and replaced withBristol North East. At the2024 general election, Egan was elected to Parliament as MP for Bristol North East with a vote share of 45.3% and a majority of 11,167.[24]
In March 2024 Egan undertook a visit to Israel which was paid for by theLabour Friends of Israel (LFI).[25][26]
Egan was appointed as an honorary vice-chair ofLabour Friends of Israel (LFI) in November 2024.[27] He is also the co-chair of the UK parliamentAll-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on UK-Israel.[28] One of the stated aims of the Israel APPG is to "to make the case for Israel and for the UK's bilateral relationship with the Jewish state".[29]
In February 2025 Egan visited the USA to attend the 2025AIPAC Congressional Summit, which was paid for by theLabour Friends of Israel (LFI).[30]
In January 2026, Egan came to attention of the UK national media because of the cancellation of a school visit to theBristol Brunel Academy in his constituency in September 2025. This followed a statement by Communities Secretary, Steve Reed, describing the refusal to permit Egan to enter the school as an "absolute outrage", adding, "you cannot have people with those kinds of attitudes teaching our children. You just can't have it."[31] Subsequent analyses of the reporting, however, have criticised the media reporting of the cancellation as it being the result of Egan's Jewish identity rather being due to his support for Israel during the ongoingGaza genocide.[32]Ofsted carried out a snap inspection of the school and Inspectors found "no evidence of partisan political views", and that the school covered different cultures, religious beliefs and geographical locations appropriately. Inspectors found no evidence that the visit was postponed due to co-ordinated pressure from staff and external groups and Egan's visit was rearranged.[33][34]
As at November 2025,Electoral Calculus predictions forBristol North East at thenext UK General Election show Egan's vote share collapsing from the 2024 share of 45.3% to 24.1%. Nevertheless, he is still predicted to hold the seat, albeit with a majority of only 0.1%.[35]
Egan is married to Israeli-born Yossi Felberbaum.[36][37] Though raised aCatholic, Egan converted toJudaism, his husband's faith, atBromley Reform Synagogue in 2018, two years after meeting Felberbaum.[38][39] Felberbaum is a software developer who previously worked for the Israel Defense Forces'Unit 8200, a military intelligence unit.[40]
Happy Birthday to: ... Bristol North East MP Damien Egan
The 40-year-old
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKingswood 2024–2024 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forBristol North East 2024–present | Incumbent |