Lloyd Russell-Moyle | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament forBrighton Kemptown | |
| In office 8 June 2017 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Simon Kirby |
| Succeeded by | Chris Ward |
| Member ofBrighton and Hove City Council forEast Brighton | |
| In office 4 August 2016 – 27 December 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Maggie Barredell |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Platts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lloyd Cameron Russell-Moyle (1986-09-14)14 September 1986 (age 39) Brighton,East Sussex, England |
| Political party | Green Party of England and Wales (since 2025) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Co-op (until 2025) Socialist Campaign Group |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford (BA) University of Sussex (LLM) |
Lloyd Cameron Russell-MoyleFRSA (born 14 September 1986) is a British politician who served asMember of Parliament (MP) forBrighton Kemptown from 2017 to 2024. Formerly a member ofLabour Co-op, he was a member ofBrighton and Hove City Council from 2016 to 2017, but joined theGreen Party of England and Wales in 2025.
He is a national executive member of theSocialist Educational Association,[1] the education affiliate to theLabour Party, being re-elected in September 2024.
Russell-Moyle took up the role of Chief Executive Officer and General Secretary of youth organisationThe Woodcraft Folk on 2 August 2025.[2] He joined theGreen Party of England and Wales in November 2025.[3]
Lloyd Cameron Russell-Moyle was born on 14 September 1986 inBrighton, England.[4][5][6] He was educated at Wallands Primary School,[7]Priory School, Lewes,[8] andSussex Downs College.[9] He studied at theUniversity of Bradford[10] and theUniversity of Sussex.[11][non-primary source needed]
Russell-Moyle worked at theNational Youth Agency,[12] chairingThe Woodcraft Folk[13] and as vice-president of theEuropean Youth Forum based in Brussels.[14]
Russell-Moyle unsuccessfully stood at the2015 general election inLewes, coming fourth with 9.9% of the vote behind the winningConservative candidateMaria Caulfield, the incumbentLiberal Democrat MPNorman Baker, and theUKIP candidateRay Finch.[15][8]
He was elected and served as a councillor onBrighton and Hove City Council in August 2016.[16] Following his election to Parliament, Russell-Moyle resigned from the Council in December 2017.[17]
On 29 May 2024, he was suspended from the Labour Party in relation to a complaint about his behaviour eight years prior, before he was an MP. Because there was insufficient time for the investigation of the complaint to be resolved before the candidacy deadline for the2024 general election, he became ineligible to stand as the Labour Party candidate for Brighton Kemptown. He described the complaint as "vexatious and politically motivated" and expressed a belief that he would be fully exonerated.[18] In January 2025 it was announced, the investigation had concluded the month before and found "insufficient evidence to proceed", with the complainant then withdrawing the allegation and his full membership restored.[19]
At the snap2017 general election, Russell-Moyle was elected to Parliament as MP forBrighton Kemptown, winning with 58.3% of the vote and a majority of 9,868.[16][20]
In May 2018 Russell-Moyle as the Chair of theAll-Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs launched an inquiry into "the Role and Sufficiency of Youth Work".[21][22] In the recommendations published in October 2018 he highlighted the relevance and importance of the inquiry stating, "Over the years youth work has borne the brunt of significant spending cuts. Recent events and reports suggest the loss of youth work has had a negative impact on young people and communities".[23]
On 10 December 2018, Russell-Moyle was suspended from theHouse of Commons for the remainder of the day's sitting after he seized theceremonial mace in protest at the government's eleventh-hour deferral of the vote on theEU Withdrawal Agreement, which had been scheduled for the following day.[24][25]
On 5 March 2019, Russell-Moyle joined thirteen other Labour MPs on Westminster Bridge, next to theHouses of Parliament, in a protest againstBrexit under the banner 'Love Socialism Hate Brexit'.[26] Russell-Moyle was one of a number of MPs to light red flares on the bridge. The use of flares so close to Westminster drew the attention of uniformed police, who arrived by boat to inquire what was taking place.[26]
DuringPrime Minister's Questions, on 20 March 2019, Russell-Moyle urgedPrime MinisterTheresa May to "condemn"Andrea Leadsom for the Cabinet Minister's comments on LGBT education.[27] Leadsom had made comments on radio that parents should decide when their children are "exposed" to LGBT education.[28] Leadsom's comments drew anger from many who felt, in Russell-Moyle's words, that "This is Conservative Partydog-whistle politics".[27] Russell-Moyle also criticised the Prime Minister, stating that she had "campaigned to keepSection 28" which prevented the "promotion of homosexuality", which Russell-Moyle said had "led to millions of young people like myself growing in fear of being LGBT".[27]
Russell-Moyle was involved in a physical altercation on 21 March 2019 whilst out showing support for demonstrators leafleting for 'The People's March', a demonstration in support of thePeople's Vote campaign.[29][30][31] Russell-Moyle described how an individual first began arguing with anITV News crew suggesting that they were part of a "mainstream media conspiracy to stop Brexit".[31] Russell-Moyle then approached the scene and said that he was an MP and that "the majority of [his] constituents had voted Remain". He said that this information exacerbated the situation further with the individual describing MPs as "traitors" and lunging at him.[30][31] The incident took place less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Theresa May gave a speech on Brexit in which she blamed MPs for deliberately delaying her attempt to ensure the UK left the EU by 29 March.[32]
In June 2019, Russell-Moyle was criticised by theBoard of Deputies of British Jews for hosting aStop the War coalition meeting in Parliament to which a representative of theYemeniHouthi group, Ahmed Alshami, had been invited.[33][34] The Board's Vice President stated that "hosting an organisation in the Houses of Parliament whose official slogan includes the phrase 'death to Israel, curse the Jews' is utterly unacceptable. Lloyd Russell-Moyle should immediately disavow his support for this event".[35] Russell-Moyle described Alshami as "part of the delegation to the UN process...I support efforts to bring peace to Yemen, encouraging dialogue with people on all sides, however much I disagree with Mr Alshami".[34] Russell-Moyle made his offer to host the meeting conditional on the non-participation of Alshami.[36]
At the2019 general election, Russell-Moyle was re-elected as MP for Brighton Kemptown with a decreased vote share of 51.6% and a decreased majority of 8,061.[37] His speech on the night, which included an undertaking to "fight [the Tories] in ... the Parliament ... the courts ... the workplaces ... the streets", aroused comment in the press and on social media.[38][39][40] In December 2019, Russell-Moyle sparked controversy when he said he was not a "cunt" in refusing to call for the immediate resignation ofJeremy Corbyn, during an exchange on instant messenger with a former party member, which was leaked toThe Sun.[41]
Russell-Moyle was appointed Shadow Foreign Minister in January 2020, holding the brief for the Americas and Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific and the Overseas Territories.[42] Upon the election ofKeir Starmer as party leader, he was appointed asShadow Minister for Natural Environment and Air Quality.[43]
In April 2020, Russell-Moyle was reported to have shared a link to an unredacted version of aLabour Party dossier into the handling of antisemitism, which contained the names and details of whistle-blowers.[44]
In June 2020, he issued an apology[45][46] after writing an article forTribune in which he accusedJ. K. Rowling of usingher experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault to justify discrimination against transgender people.[47][48]
On 16 July 2020, Russell-Moyle resigned from his frontbench role, citing a "campaign by the right-wing media" which he believes led to him and his staff receiving targeted abuse.[49]
In January 2023, Russell-Moyle reacted angrily to a speech byMiriam Cates in a debate on theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.,[50] branding her as 'transphobic' and saying she 'should be ashamed'. He later apologised to DameRosie Winterton and to Cates for the tone of his response.Rosie Duffield accused Russell-Moyle of crossing the floor at the end of the debate to sit near to Cates.[50] Conservative MPPaul Bristow confirmed the report and said he moved closer to Cates in response to Russell-Moyle's behaviour, which he thought was in order to intimidate her.[51][non-primary source needed] The following weekDame Rosie Winterton confirmed that it was usual for MPs of any party to sit where Russell-Moyle sat saying "any hon. Gentleman or hon. Lady can sit in the end seats".[52]
In December 2023, Russell-Moyle introduced a bill to banconversion therapy after failed attempts by the government to introduce such a bill. He drafted the bill in public, meeting people from all sides and included key safeguards to protect parents, regulated medical practitioners and free speech but prevented the abusive practice.[53] The bill was blocked from proceeding to committee stage in the commons in March 2024 and it did not proceed further.[54]
In March 2024 Russell-Moyle launched the final of three reports on youth work policy and practice the first of which was drafted with theNational Youth Agency and last was drafted withBen Bradley and the Centre for Young Lives. It called for a national workforce strategy and ministerial leadership.[55]
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Russell-Moyle was Chair of theAll-Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs. Russell-Moyle was also listed as Chair[56] of the All-Party Parliamentary Group onKurdistan in Turkey and Syria, which replaced his Chairmanship of the All-Party Parliamentary Group forKurds in Iran; All-Party Parliamentary Group forRojava (Democratic Federation of Northern Syria) and Vice Chairmanship of Kurds in Turkey in the 2017–2019 Parliament.[57]
Russell-Moyle was listed as Treasurer[56] of All-Party Parliamentary Groups onHIV/AIDS and on Universities and he was listed as Vice Chair[56] or Officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on TheBaháʼí Faith; Council Housing; Deaths Abroad, Consular Services and Assistance; Housing Market and Housing Delivery; Sixth Form Education and Vaccinations for All.
During the 2017–2019 Parliament Russell-Moyle was a member of followingParliamentary committees:[58]
In the 2019 Parliament Russell-Moyle has been member of the followingParliamentary committees:[65]
Russell-Moyle is an honorary associate of theNational Secular Society.[66]
On 20 November 2025, Russell-Moyle joined theGreen Party of England and Wales.[3] He cited his disillusion with the Labour Party's direction and its leadership, stating that they "left behind millions" who wanted "hope... [and] change in their lives."[67]
Russell-Moyle is gay.[68] In November 2018, during a House of Commons debate to mark the 30thWorld AIDS Day,[69] Russell-Moyle revealed he had been diagnosed asHIV positive a decade earlier,[69][70] saying he wanted to tackle thestigma still associated with the condition and stating: "I have not only survived, I've prospered, and any partner I have is safe and protected",[71] making reference later in his speech to having anundetectableviral load, as well as discussingpre-exposure prophylaxis andpublic health policy.[70] In disclosing his HIV status in a Parliamentary speech, he became the first MP to do so in the chamber of the House of Commons and only the second person (afterChris Smith) to live openly with HIV as an MP.[69][70][71]
Gay Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle was kicked out of Parliament after taking the ceremonial mace which the House of Commons needs to meet, vote and pass bills.
Board of Deputies condemns Labour MP's plan to host representative of antisemitic group in Parliament
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBrighton Kemptown 2017–2024 | Succeeded by |