Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, having first been elected to Parliament in 2017, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of just 789.
Although Warwick was held by the Conservatives between 2010 and 2017, in recent years this area in the centre of Warwickshire has bucked the national trend and backed Labour. This may in part be as a result of the large student population in this constituency at the University of Warwick. The seat contains the town of Warwick (known for its Castle), and the spa town of Leamington in the Upper Avon Valley.
Western was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Further Education and Universities in 2021.
Born in November 1962, Matt Western studied Geography at the University of Bristol. He worked in various senior management roles during a 24-year career with Peugeot both in the UK and Paris, specialising in Finance, Procurement and Marketing. He later founded his own marketing and brand consultancy firm, Oxygency.
Despite having worked in the motor industry, Western is a massive cyclist, who is known to cycle around his constituency to meetings.
At Westminster, Western has campaigned to limit the working hours of bus drivers on safety grounds, and for Electric Vehicles.
He supported Emily Thornberry in the 2020 Labour leadership election.
Western served on Warwickshire County Councillor between 2013 and 2018
He is married to the historian Rebecca Earle. He is an Arsenal fan.
Matt Western is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Council Housing. He is the Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Chalk Streams; Pubs; Parks and Green Spaces; Climate Change; School Food; Small and Micro Business; Town Centres; Small and Medium Sized House Builders; Video Games and Esports; Lebanon; and the Polar Regions
Email: matt.western.mp@parliament.uk
Website – https://mattwestern.org
Twitter – @MattWestern_
