Lola McEvoy | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forDarlington | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Gibson |
| Majority | 2,298 (5.4%) |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport | |
| Assumed office 15 September 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Kim Leadbeater |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Laura Marie Keough McEvoy |
| Party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Growth Group |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Laura Marie Keough McEvoy,[1] commonly known as Lola McEvoy, is a BritishLabour Party politician who has beenMember of Parliament forDarlington since2024.
McEvoy currently serves as co-chair of theLabour Growth Group,[2] chair of theAll Party Parliamentary Group onIndustrial Strategy and is aparliamentary private secretary to theSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.[3]
Lola McEvoy was born on 29 September 1987. Her father was apalliative care nurse[4] at North Tees hospital and her mother a teacher atCarmel College, Darlington.[5]
McEvoy grew up off North Road in Darlington and attended George Dent nursery, St Augustine’s Primary School and Carmel College.[6][7] She went on to attendQueen Elizabeth Sixth Form College beforecompleting a Master of Arts (MA) in Multimedia Journalism atNewcastle University.[8][9]
McEvoy began her career in 2010 working as a parliamentary assistant toJenny Chapman, the former Member of Parliament for Darlington. She also volunteered on PresidentBarack Obama’s 2012re-election campaign.[6]
McEvoy’s early career focused on campaigning for fairer wages, workplace justice and better working conditions for workers at organisations such as theLiving Wage Foundation andGMB trade union.[9][10]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, McEvoy secured commitments from several major firms to improve sick pay terms for workers. She also supported efforts to expose the limitations ofstatutory sick pay and campaigned for equal treatment for outsourcedNHS staff, bringing public attention to the difficult choices many low-paid workers faced between health and lost income during the crisis.[11]
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At the2017 general election, McEvoy stood as theLabour candidate forPenrith and The Border, finishing second behindRory Stewart with 26.2% of the vote.[12] She achieved a swing of 11.8%.
Ahead of the2024 general election, McEvoy was selected as the prospective Labour candidate forDarlington. She was elected as MP with 39.2% of the vote and a majority of 2,298.
Since entering Parliament, McEvoy has worked in roles linked to economic growth and regional development. She currently serves as Co-Chair of theLabour Growth Group and as Chair of theAll-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) onIndustrial Strategy, where she has advocated for a long-term, place-based approach to British industry and manufacturing.
From June 2024 to September 2025, she was a member of theTreasury Select Committee.[13]
McEvoy has campaigned on issues affecting workers and communities in theNorth East England. She has been active on renters’ rights, supporting reforms to strengthen protections for tenants and securing an amendment during parliamentary consideration of housing legislation.
McEvoy has been a campaigner ononline safety, particularly for children and young people. She established a Darlington online safety forum, bringing together schools, parents and experts, and arranged for students from Darlington to meet with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology as well as representatives from Ofcom, enabling young people to raise their concerns directly with policymakers and regulators.
Locally, McEvoy has campaigned for donations to the Golden Tickets Campaign, helping to ensure that every child in Darlington can access a free ticket toHopetown Darlington, the town’s rail heritage attraction.[14] She has also lobbied the Government to retain the Towns Fund, arguing that it should be refocused as a community-led programme shaped by local priorities rather than centrally directed projects.
In the 2025–26 budget, McEvoy secured £16 million from the Government’s Growth Mission Fund to support the development of a newSTEM Centre at Darlington Science Park, backing the project as a driver of skills, innovation and high-quality employment in the region.[15]
McEvoy worked withHistoric England to establish ablue plaque scheme for Darlington to celebrate the town’s history and notable figures. Following recommendations from the campaign panel, the plaques were ultimately designated green plaques, which were launched in December 2025.[16]
She has also spoken publicly about anti-social behaviour, calling for a ban on the wearing ofbalaclava in public in response to what she described as an escalation in youth-related disorder in town centres.[17]
On 15 September 2025, McEvoy was appointed as theparliamentary private secretary for theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Lola McEvoy | 16,621 | 39.2 | +0.3 | |
| Conservative | Peter Gibson | 14,323 | 33.8 | −15.9 | |
| Reform | Michael Walker | 6,852 | 16.2 | +12.6 | |
| Green | Matthew Snedker | 2,847 | 6.7 | +4.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Simon Thorley | 1,735 | 4.1 | −0.5 | |
| Majority | 2,298 | 5.4 | |||
| Turnout | 60 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rory Stewart | 28,078 | 60.4 | +0.7 | |
| Labour | Lola McEvoy | 12,168 | 26.2 | +11.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Neil Hughes | 3,641 | 7.8 | ―0.7 | |
| UKIP | Kerryanne Wilde | 1,142 | 2.5 | ―9.7 | |
| Green | Doug Lawson | 1,029 | 2.2 | ―3.1 | |
| Independent | Jonathan Davies | 412 | 0.9 | New | |
| Majority | 15,910 | 34.2 | ―11.1 | ||
| Turnout | 46,470 | 71.0 | +3.6 | ||
| Conservativehold | Swing | ―5.5 | |||
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDarlington 2024–present | Incumbent |
