Matthew Adrian Bishop[2] is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament for the Forest of Dean since the 2024 general election.[3]
Matt Bishop | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean | |
| Assumed office 4[1] July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Harper |
| Majority | 278 (0.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Newport, Wales |
| Political party | Labour |
Bishop was born in Newport, South Wales and raised by his grandparents. He attended Lliswerry High School. He joined the police force aged 18 and served in three constabularies until his policing career was curtailed by injuries sustained in a car crash while on duty.[4]
He was a Labour councillor on Forest of Dean District Council prior to the 2024 general election.[5] He defeated the incumbent Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, who had held the Forest of Dean seat for the Conservative Party since 2005.[6]
Local Government career
editBishop stood for election in the 2021 Gloucestershire County Council elections. He contested the Coleford division where he came second to the incumbent Conservative candidate.
In 2023, Bishop contested the Forest of Dean District Council elections. He stood for one of two Cinderford East seats which he won with 55.6% of the votes. At the same time, he contested and won a seat on Cinderford Town Council.
During his first year as a District Councillor, he had been Chair of the Audit Committee. He became Chair of the Scrutiny Committee in his second year. Following his success at the 2024 General Election, Bishop decided to step down as both a Town and District Councillor. He timed his resignation to coincide with the 2025 Gloucestershire County Council elections, [1] citing that the work of the council is vital and deserves full focus, but as an MP, his priority had to be to dedicate his time to his parliamentary duties. He also stated that he believed additional roles should only be taken on in exceptional circumstances, such as working in critical services like the NHS. Since his election as an MP, he had not claimed any councillor allowances.
Parliamentary career
editAt the 2024 General Election, Bishop was elected to the Gloucestershire seat of Forest of Dean with a majority of 278 on 34% of the vote.[7]
In October 2024, Bishop was appointed to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill Committee. [8]
In November 2024, Bishop voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[9]
He was also appointed to the Finance Committee for the House of Commons. [10]
In January 2025, Bishop was appointed to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee. [11]
References
edit- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/5323/contact
- ^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Forest of Dean | General Election 2024 | Sky News". election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Who is Matt?". Forest of Dean Labour Party. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Councillor Matt Bishop". Forest of Dean District Council. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Topping, Alexandra (5 July 2024). "The 2024 election's 'Portillo moments': which 'Big Beasts' have lost their seats?". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Forest of Dean - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/5323/career.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". Votes in Parliament. 29 November 2024.
- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/5323/career.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/5323/career.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
External links
edit
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
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