Jim Dickson (politician)
 |
Jim Dickson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Dartford | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Gareth Johnson |
| Leader of Lambeth Council | |
| In office September 1994 – March 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Whaley |
| Succeeded by | Tom Franklin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Rowan Chatterton Dickson 16 January 1964 |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Labour |
| Domestic partner | Nicola |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
Jim Dickson is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dartford since 2024. He served as the local councillor for Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction ward in the London Borough of Lambeth for over 30 years. He was also Leader of Lambeth Council between 1994 and 2000.
At the 2024 general election, Dickson defeated Gareth Johnson of the Conservative Party in the longest standing bellwether seat, having previously led Lambeth Council, served as Politics Director at consultancy firm Four Communications, and been a Director at Canning Town-based charity the Thames Festival Trust.[1] Jim Dickson is one of two Lambeth Councillors to have gone on to become Labour MP for Dartford, the first being his predecessor Jennie Adamson in 1938 - Dartford's wartime MP who also served in the Attlee government - who had previously served on the London County Council for Lambeth North.
Early life and career
[edit]Dickson was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he read Social and Political Sciences.[2] Whilst at Cambridge he was elected as Chair of the Cambridge University Labour Club. From 1989, Dickson worked for the London Housing Unit as a Senior Policy Officer for ten years. In 1998 he was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster until 2000. Between 2000 and 2003 he worked as an Associate for Weber Shandwick. He previously worked for the consultancy firm Four Communications as Politics Director.[3][4] He is a member of the Association of Professional Political Consultants.[5]
Political career
[edit]Lambeth council
[edit]Dickson was first elected as a Councillor for Herne Hill in the 1990 Lambeth London Borough Council election, and he became the Leader of Lambeth Council in 1994.[6]
Dickson has held various cabinet positions on the Lambeth Borough Council (such as Voluntary and Community Sectors, Finance and Health and Social Care).[3][7][8] He was leading Lambeth's Labour Group when it was praised as being "more New Labour than New Labour" by former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair.[9] He is a member of Progressive Britain.[5]
In 2016 Dickson faced public ire during protests against the council's cuts to libraries, as well as their plans to turn Carnegie Library into a gym.[10][11] The library was occupied for nine days by protestors after it was closed in March 2016, after which they voluntarily left the building and the occupation ended with a protest march to Brixton Library.[12][13] It is worth noting that both of these libraries were never closed, with Carnegie Library getting a new café.[14]
During his tenure in Lambeth Council, they introduced various schemes that aimed to tackle the area’s poor health and heightened levels of inequality. Their attempts at tackling food poverty included being part of a 2017 initiative that made Lambeth the first council to sign the Declaration on Sugar Reduction and Healthier Food;[15] and in 2022 he, alongside other Lambeth colleagues, called on the Government to take greater action against food poverty.[16]
He was also involved in a series of measures introduced by Lambeth Council aimed at addressing LGBT+ health and wellbeing, and was a signatory to a letter addressing the Government’s negligence of LGBT+ health in the wake of the monkeypox outbreak.[17] Towards the end of his time at Lambeth Borough Council, he was also able to help secure £5 million towards health research funding in the borough.[18]
Member of Parliament
[edit]At the 2001 General Election he was Labour's candidate in Old Bexley and Sidcup.[19]
At the 2024 General Election, Dickson was elected as the MP for Dartford. His key election policy was 'Taking Pride in Dartford', an initiative to revitalise Dartford's high streets and cultural scene. Since being elected to parliament, Dickson has attracted local attention to his campaign to get the A226 Galley Hill Road rebuilt and reopened.[20] In 2024, he called for additional government funding towards dementia, citing challenges with the disease in his own family.[21] In November 2024, Dickson was among 34 MPs who signed a letter demanding that the management agency FirstPort face scrutiny in parliament.[22] He voted in favour of legalising assisted dying. In 2025, in the wake of videos circulating on TikTok of animals being harmed by catapults, Jim Dickson called for increased powers for the police to be able to confiscate catapults from under 18s.[23] In October 2025, he was elected on to the Treasury Select Committee.
References
[edit]- ^ "THAMES FESTIVAL TRUST overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Cambridge University Tripos results", The Times, 10 July 1986, p. 35.
- ^ a b "LinkedIn Profile".
- ^ "Profile on Four Communications website". Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Register of interests for Councillor Jim Dickson". beta.lambeth.gov.uk. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ Firth, Robert (26 March 2025). "Kent MP resigns as Herne Hill councillor after 35 years". Southwark News. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "The Cabinet | Lambeth Council". beta.lambeth.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Lambeth Council announces its new Cabinet, 23rd April 2020". Brixton Buzz. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Labour urged to 'smear' Lib Dems". Independent.co.uk. 22 October 2011.
- ^ Cobb, Jason (5 April 2016). "Herne Hill Labour Cllr's ignore book-ish gyms party motion in fightback letter against Carnegie protestors". Brixton Buzz. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Urban, Mike (8 February 2017). "Carnegie Library: Lambeth ignores the community and approves plan to turn library into unwanted gym". Brixton Buzz. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Demi; volunteer, teenage library (8 April 2016). "Why we're occupying the Carnegie library in London". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ "Nine-day library occupation ends". 9 April 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Halahan, Thomas (15 September 2025). "Carnegie Cafe and community lounge". Carnegie Library Hub. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Council, Lambeth (27 April 2017). "Love Lambeth". Love Lambeth. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Council, Lambeth (25 October 2022). "Love Lambeth". Love Lambeth. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Council, Lambeth (5 August 2022). "Love Lambeth". Love Lambeth. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Council, Lambeth (11 October 2022). "Love Lambeth". Love Lambeth. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Election result for Old Bexley and Sidcup in 2001
- ^ "New MP to continue fight for funding for collapsed road". Kent Online. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "Dartford MP opens up on mother's dementia and calls for funding". BBC News. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "FirstPort called to meet with 34 MPs over leasehold charges". Inside Housing. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Burke, Dave (17 June 2025). "TikTok videos that leave animals with horrendous injuries must be outlawed plea". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
External links
[edit]
