Andy McDonald (politician)

For other people with the same name, see Andrew McDonald (disambiguation).
Andy McDonald
MP

McDonald (left) with Ed Miliband
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Assumed office
27 June 2016
Leader Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by Lilian Greenwood
Shadow Minister of State for Transport
In office
7 January 2016 – 27 June 2016
Leader Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by Jonathan Reynolds
Succeeded by TBD
Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough
Assumed office
29 November 2012
Preceded by Stuart Bell
Majority 12,477 (38.1%)
Personal details
Born Andrew Joseph McDonald
(1958-03-08) 8 March 1958
Middlesbrough, England, UK
Political party Labour
Alma mater Leeds Beckett University
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website Official website

Andrew Joseph McDonald (born 8 March 1958)[1] is a British Labour politician and solicitor. He has been the Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2012.

Biography

Andy McDonald was born in Acklam, Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire.[2]

McDonald was educated at a number of local schools, including St. Francis Primary School, St. Edward's Primary School and St. George's Secondary School (which later became Trinity Catholic College, Middlesbrough). He attended St. Mary's Sixth Form College before studying for a law degree at Leeds Polytechnic.

He worked as a lawyer for over a quarter of a century and rose to be Senior Serious Injury Solicitor at the Middlesbrough office of Thompsons Solicitors and to lead the firm's Serious Injury Unit for the Cumbria, Humberside, North East, and Yorkshire areas. He was also the Thompson's Head of Military Claims for members of the British Armed Forces.[3] Whilst working for the firm, McDonald acted as a special adviser to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee for its 2003 report on Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation.[4] He has also served as both Chair and as Secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' Military Special Interest Group and was a founder member of The Royal British Legion's Solicitors Group.[5]

McDonald has been involved in various good causes in the Middlesbrough area. He was a governor of Abingdon Primary School for fifteen years until 2010 and became a governor of Middlesbrough College in 2012.[5] He has also been chair of two local charities, the Davison Trust, which works with children with special needs, and the Teesside branch of Headway, which works with people with brain injuries.[2]

Political career

McDonald was active in local politics in Middlesbrough for many years. He served as councillor for Westbourne ward from 1995 to 1999.[6] At the time of his selection as a parliamentary candidate, he was chairman of Middlesbrough Labour Party Local Government Committee.[7] Labour shortlisted McDonald as a potential candidate for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the 2010 United Kingdom general election. However, Tom Blenkinsop was the eventual choice.[2]

McDonald became a parliamentarian when he won the Middlesbrough by-election held on 29 November 2012, retaining the seat for Labour following the death of disgraced former MP Sir Stuart Bell. In February 2011, it was revealed that Bell had not held a constituency surgery since 1997 in the feature film documentary ToryBoy The Movie[8] made by his political opponent John Walsh.[9] In September 2011, the Middlesbrough-based Evening Gazette newspaper began calling for an inquiry regarding Stuart Bell's apparent disregard for his Middlesbrough constituents. Journalist Neil Macfarlane claimed he had placed over 100 calls to his registered offices over several weeks, but the phone was never answered or calls returned. They claimed this was despite his wife receiving over £35,000 per annum allowance to act as his 'office' manager.[10] Bell later claimed that he had stopped surgeries after being assaulted, and was willing to meet constituents "by appointment". He stated that he would discuss the matter with Labour Chief Whip Rosie Winterton, and would be writing to Labour Party leader Ed Miliband to explain his circumstances.[11] Sir Stuart Bell did have a right of reply which appeared in the short film ToryBoy The AfterMath[12][13]

McDonald increased the party's share of the vote to 60.5% though his majority was reduced by 500 to 8,211.[14]

In February 2013, McDonald announced his appointment as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Attorney General.

Since his election to Parliament, McDonald has campaigned on a number of issues including opposition to the "Bedroom Tax" (part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012) and the privatisation of the East Coast Main Line. Following the Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet reshuffle in October 2013, it was announced that McDonald would become Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chuka Umunna MP in his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

In January 2016, McDonald was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Ministry to replace Jonathan Reynolds who resigned as Shadow Minister for Rail in protest after Corbyn sacked Pat McFadden.[15][16]

in June 2016, McDonald was appointed Shadow Transport Secretary as part of the Labour Party's post-Brexit reshuffle.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Thompsons Solicitors LLP". Dellam Corporate Information. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Andy McDonald chosen as Middlesbrough Labour candidate in by-election to replace the late Sir Stuart Bell". Darlington and Stockton Times. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  3. ↑ "Andrew McDonald". Thompsons Solicitors. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "House of Commons Defence Committee: Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation :First Report of Session 2003–04 Volume I:Report, together with formal minutes" (PDF). The Stationery Office Limited. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Governing Body Membership:Mr Andrew McDonald College Governor". Middlesbrough College. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "Black day for jobs; Your Say.". Evening Gazette. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Trade Union solicitor Andy McDonald will stand as Labour candidate in Middlesbrough bi-election". The Northern Echo. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  8. ↑ http://www.toryboythemovie.com/
  9. ↑ Walters, Simon; Wilkinson, Paul (13 February 2011). "Labour veteran Sir Stuart Bell held voters surgery 14 years". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Are Teessiders getting enough from Sir Stuart Bell?". Gazette Live. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  11. ↑ Fernandez, Colin (8 September 2011). "Is this Britain's laziest MP? Labour veteran who claims £83,000 for staff but hasn't held a constituency surgery for 14 YEARS". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  12. ↑ http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2014/05/john-walsh-toryboy-the-aftermath-or-the-town-that-politics-forgot.html
  13. ↑ https://vimeo.com/86981668
  14. ↑ "Middlesbrough by-election: Labour's Andy McDonald wins". BBC News. BBC. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  15. ↑ "Jeremy Corbyn finalises shadow cabinet reshuffle".
  16. ↑ "Shadow Rail Minister Quits After Reshuffle". Sky News. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Jeremy Corbyn unveils new top team after resignations". BBC News. 27 June 2016.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Stuart Bell		 Member of Parliament
for Middlesbrough
2012–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Lilian Greenwood		 Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
2016–present 		Incumbent
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