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Chris Ward (British politician)

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Chris Ward
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 July 2024
Serving with Liz Twist
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byCraig Williams
Member of Parliament
for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byLloyd Russell-Moyle
Majority9,609 (23.8%)
Personal details
Born
Christopher David Ward

1982 or 1983 (age 41–42)
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
University of Oxford

Christopher David Ward (born 1982 or 1983)[1][2] is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven since 2024.[3] A member of the Labour Party, he has also been Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, since 2024.

Early life and education

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Ward was born[4] and grew up in Brighton, and his parents grew up in Peacehaven. Ward is a supporter of Brighton and Hove Albion.[5] Ward joined the Labour Party at the age of 18[5] before attending the University of Warwick for his undergraduate degree and the University of Oxford for a master's degree.[6]

Career

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Ward became a parliamentary researcher after leaving Oxford and spent 6 years working for Keir Starmer.[4] Joining Starmer's staff in 2015, Ward was employed as a speechwriter and political adviser. Following Starmer's victory in the 2020 leadership election, Ward became one of Starmer's closest advisors as part of a group branded the "gang of five" by backbencher Labour MPs which included Morgan McSweeney and Jenny Chapman. Ward went on to become the Deputy Chief of Staff for Starmer before leaving his advisory role in July 2021.[7][8]

After leaving his advisory role, Ward worked for Hanbury Strategy as a director[9] starting in January 2022.[10] Hanbury Strategy is a registered lobbying firm and political and public affairs consultancy agency[10][11] where he led the section dedicated to the Labour party.[12] During his time at the company, Hanbury advised clients including Amazon, Deliveroo, Flutter, UBS, Blackstone and Rockhopper,[11] among others.[10] During this time, Ward wrote an article for the conservative political publication The Spectator.[13]

Ward was selected for the constituency of Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven following the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle from the Labour party on allegations dating back to 2016. According to left-wing political commentator Owen Jones, Ward had expressed an interest in becoming a member of parliament for a Brighton constituency many years prior.[11] The suspension of Russell-Moyle triggered an emergency meeting the following day,[14] immediately following which Ward was announced as the new candidate. More than 200 members of the Labour party protested the method of Ward's selection,[15] and former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council Nancy Platts questioned the fairness of the process.[16] Ward's campaign launch was interrupted by pro-Palestine protests over the Israel–Hamas war,[17] and was accused of being a parachute candidate.[15]

Political views

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Ward is considered to be on the right of the Labour party in terms of political opinions, and is seen as being a supporter of Starmerism.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Election Q&A with Chris Ward – the Labour candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven". Brighton and Hove News. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Brighton Kemptown and P'Haven | General Election 2024". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b leDuc, Frank (30 May 2024). "Labour announces Brighton Kemptown candidate to replace Lloyd Russell-Moyle". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Booker-Lewis, Sarah (26 June 2024). "Election Q&A with Chris Ward – the Labour candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Chris Ward OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION". macemagazine.com. Mace Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Stewart, Heather (28 July 2021). "Keir Starmer aide Chris Ward to leave Labour leader's top team". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (28 July 2021). "Another close aide to Keir Starmer goes as Chris Ward set to leave leader's office". Labour List. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ Cooper, Charlie (7 September 2023). "Labour's Keir Starmer is a green activist to his core". Politico. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Dunn, Will (3 July 2024). "Revealed: the 103 professional lobbyists standing in the 2024 general election". New Statesman. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Smythe, Polly (13 June 2024). "Meet the Labour Candidates Lobbying for Oil, Gas and Arms Companies". Novara Media. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  12. ^ Lloyd, Will (22 May 2024). "The Labour PR gold rush has begun". New Statesman. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Chris Ward". www.spectator.co.uk. The Spectator. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  14. ^ le Duc, Frank (30 May 2024). "Labour officials call emergency meeting after Brighton Kemptown MP ousted". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b Wadsworth, Jo (3 June 2024). "More than 200 Labour members call on party to reconsider Kemptown selection". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  16. ^ le Duc, Frank (31 May 2024). "Former council leader calls for investigation into Brighton Kemptown selection". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  17. ^ Wadsworth, Jo (7 June 2024). "Gaza campaigners disrupt new Kemptown Labour candidate's campaign launch". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
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