Anneliese Midgley
Anneliese Midgley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Knowsley | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | George Howarth |
| Majority | 18,319 (50.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, England |
| Party | Labour |
Anneliese Midgley is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist who has served as the Member of Parliament for Knowsley since 2024. She is a former senior trade union and Labour Party official. In Parliament she serves as Secretary of the Trade Union Group of Labour MPs.
Early life
[edit]Midgley grew up in Stockbridge Village, formerly known as Cantril Farm. Midgley’s parents had been moved there from Everton and Liverpool. Her father worked at the nearby Ford Halewood car plant, now Jaguar Land Rover Halewood. She credits her father's secure, unionised job as what provided the family with stability and enabled them to eventually purchase their own home. He died three years before Midgley’s election to Parliament.[1]
Political career
[edit]Midgley has worked as Political Director of Unite the Union and for the Trade Union Congress.[2]
She also worked for Ken Livingstone at City Hall during his time as Mayor of London, for Jeremy Corbyn’s 2015 leadership campaign (becoming his Deputy Chief of Staff), and later joined Keir Starmer’s team as a senior adviser in opposition.[3]
Midgley was Sir Keir Starmer's initial choice for the role of Labour Party General Secretary,[4][5] though she did not stand for the position.[3]
Parliamentary career
[edit]In February 2024, she was selected to succeed long-serving MP for Knowsley George Howarth in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.[6] She was elected with 67.3% of the vote.[7]
Midgley has worked with Cheryl Korbel, mother of murder victim Olivia Pratt-Korbel, in support of a proposed law requiring offenders to face victims’ families in court.[8] She read Korbel’s victim impact statement aloud in the House of Commons to press the issue.[9]
She has also campaigned on behalf of creatives and musicians with regard to the impact of generative artificial intelligence on copyright, performers’ rights and livelihoods.[10]
Midgley has supported the Hillsborough Law, calling for a statutory “duty of candour” on public authorities to ensure transparency and justice for victims’ families.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Midgely was married to Bob Stanley of the band Saint Etienne. The two later divorced but remain close friends; Stanley supported her election campaign by allowing her to use the band’s track Only Love Can Break Your Heart in a campaign video.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Thorp, Liam (2025-07-27). "'Times were tough. We didn't have much other than each other'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ Thorp, Liam (2024-02-17). "Anneliese Midgley wins Knowsley Labour selection fight". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ a b Rodgers, Sienna (2020-05-20). "Unite's Anneliese Midgley appointed as senior special adviser to Keir Starmer". LabourList. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ Syal, Rajeev (4 May 2020). "Who will be Labour general secretary? Some possible contenders". The Guardian.
- ^ Holden, Paul (2025), The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracy, OR Books, pp. 181 & 182, ISBN 9781682195987
- ^ Bhagudia, Pratham (2024-02-20). "Trade Unionist Anneliese Midgley wins Labour Candidacy for Knowsley". MerseyNewsLive. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- ^ "Knowsley - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ O'Neill, Laura (2025-05-20). "Olivia's Law would 'begin to put victims at the heart of justice'". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ "Words of Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mother read out in Parliament in emotional speech by MP". ITV News. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ Gumble, Daniel (2025-02-24). "'Stop AI stealing our artists' music': Cross-Party MPs urge Government to change AI stance". UK Music. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ^ "Long-awaited Hillsborough Law 'will contain a legal duty of candour' government promises". ITV News. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
External links
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