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Matthew Patrick (British politician)

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Matthew Patrick
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Wirral West
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byMargaret Greenwood
Majority9,998 (20.0%)
Personal details
Born1987 or 1988 (age 36–37)[1]
Political partyLabour
Alma materLiverpool John Moores University

Matthew John Patrick[2] is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral West since 2024.

Early life and education

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He was born and brought up in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England.[1] Patrick's parents worked in primary and secondary education. He attended Liverpool John Moores University, and was the first in his family to attend university. During his time at university, Patrick worked full time at a mortgage broker to fund living costs.[3]

Political career

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Patrick joined the Labour party in 2010.[3] He was previously a Labour member of Wirral Council from 2013 to 2018 and is considered to be on the Labour Party's centrist wing.[4] His 2013 election in a ward in Upton, Merseyside came with a 4.5% swing to Labour.[5] Patrick has worked for the Financial Ombudsman Service;[1] after leaving Wirral council in 2018 he worked in financial regulation[3] in London.[5] Immediately prior to taking office, Patrick worked as a Senior Communications Manager for Pay.UK, an operator and standards body for inter-bank financial transactions.[6]

Patrick put himself forward as the Labour candidate for Wirral West in 2023. The selection process was controversial, with several members resigning from posts because of the candidate choices on the four-person shortlist.[5][7] In March 2024, before the election was called but after his selection as candidate, Patrick went on a fully-funded four-day visit to Israel funded by Labour Friends of Israel. The purpose of the visit was for education and to meet with important political figures.[6] In the 2024 general election, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral West with 23,156 votes (46.4%) and a majority of 9,998 over the second place Conservative candidate.[8]

In November 2024, Patrick was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the departments for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).[9]

Personal life

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He is Jewish, and swore an oath to Charles III on the Torah during the State Opening of Parliament.[10][11] He supports West Bromwich Albion.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bell-Cross, Lorin (5 August 2024). "I now work in a Hogwarts-esque palace, says Wirral West's new Jewish MP". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  2. ^ House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, Tuesday 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Meet Matthew". Matthew Patrick for Wirral West. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  4. ^ Reporter, Ed Barnes-Local Democracy (2024-07-05). "Who is Matthew Patrick? Meet Wirral West's new Labour MP". Birkenhead News. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  5. ^ a b c Barnes, Ed (5 July 2024). "Who is Matthew Patrick? Meet Wirral West's new Labour MP". Birkenhead News. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Registered Interests (Matthew Patrick)". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  7. ^ Barnes, Edward (1 September 2023). "Controversy in Labour leads to mass resignation over choice of area's next MP". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Wirral West - General election results 2024". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  9. ^ Bell-Cross, Lorin. "'Bagel-loving' Jewish MP appointed to junior government role". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  10. ^ Devine, Leo (12 July 2024). "You swear it well: a smorgasbord of holy books for MPs to make their oath of allegiance". religionmediacentre.org.uk. Religion Media Centre. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  11. ^ House of Commons - Meeting of the New Parliament. Retrieved 2024-07-09 – via www.bbc.co.uk. 6:19pm
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