Apella Advisors insight: Labour’s next 100 new MPs and their knowledge of business

18 December 2023

The question that CEOs and others in business most frequently ask Apella’s public affairs team is about the Labour Party and its instincts. Business leaders have heard Labour’s messages about how the party would govern, but some still wonder: what really drives Labour?

To answer that question, it is necessary to answer another one: who is in Labour? Specifically, who are Labour’s MPs?

Labour today has 198 MPs. It needs 326 for a Commons majority.

If Sir Keir Starmer is PM, Labour will have a lot of new MPs in the Commons.

And if he is PM, he may well not have a big Commons majority, meaning the influence of backbench Labour MPs will be particularly significant.

That influence is already institutionalised. Labour MPs have more power over a Labour government’s policies than Conservative MPs have over a Tory government. Labour rules give the Parliamentary Labour Party a say over government policy.

As a result of all this, the identity, outlook, and background of new Labour MPs will matter a lot.

Professional background is particularly important: where a person works helps inform their views, perspective and knowledge.

So to answer that question about Labour’s instincts and future direction, we analysed the professional backgrounds of the candidates in Labour’s most winnable 100 constituencies.  We’ve established where Labour’s next 100 MPs work (or last worked before becoming full-time candidates).

If all 100 of the candidates we’ve analysed get elected, they will make up almost a third of the Parliamentary Labour Party in the Commons. In other words, the people in our analysis matter a lot for future government policy.

The starting point for our list of seats is this one from the Election Polling site. https://www.electionpolling.co.uk/battleground/targets/labour. But in a few cases we’ve had to make some changes because some seats on that list are being abolished or redrawn.

Headline findings about Labour’s next 100 MPs:

 • 37 – work or most recently worked in the private sector.

• 37 – work or most recently worked in the public sector.

• 29 - work or most recently worked in the non-profit sector.

(Numbers don’t sum to 100 because some have multiple roles)

Our view

There’s nothing wrong with working in the public sector or a non-profit role – they’re both vital parts of the UK’s economy and society. But experience working for a profit-making company is important because it gives people an opportunity to understand the needs of business and the wider economy.

There’s also a question about how closely the next 100 Labour MPs resemble the overall workforce. There are about 33 million people in work in the UK today. Around 1 million work for charities and non-profit organisations – 3%. Almost 6 million work in the public sector – 18%. The other 26 million jobs are in the private sector – 79%.

This analysis is likely to reinforce concerns in some British firms that Labour lacks an instinctive understanding of or sympathy for business and its needs. It also underlines the need for British business to step up its efforts to communicate with Labour to explain the need for a vibrant private sector.

The details

Detailed analysis of private sector experience of Labour’s future MPs might deepen those concerns, since most are working in fields closely related to politics rather than the wider economy.

Of those 37 with private sector experience:

 • 9 work as lawyers.

•  9 work in PR and Communications and public affairs, (including 2 with trade body roles).

•  2 work in research and public opinion polling.

•  2 are writers (1 for TV, 1 as a journalist).

 That leaves just 13 future Labour MPs working in the rest of the private sector.

 • 1 candidate works directly for a financial services company: Phil Bricknell, Labour candidate in Bolton West, is NatWest’s head of anti-bribery controls. (But NB - Emma Reynolds, seeking a second parliamentary career as MP in Wycombe, works for The City UK, the financial services trade body).

• 4 work in “green economy” jobs:  EV charging points; hydrogen boilers; environmental consultancy; corporate sustainability.

• 1 works in retail.

• 1 works in construction.

• 1 works in manufacturing.

• 2 work in IT/technology.

• 3 work in management consultancy.

 Only 3 candidates work for listed companies. Phil Bricknell at NatWest, Tom Collins for Bosch and Helena Dollimore at Unilever. And only two of those companies, NatWest and Unilever are listed in the UK.

Appendix – former MPs seeking to return to Parliament

Ten of the 100 are former MPs seeking to return to the House of Commons. Most of these candidates have found work as communications consultants or in other roles closely associated with politics:

• 3 of the 10 returners are PR and communications consultants.

• 1 works in a trade body.

• 2 others continue to work for the Labour Party in some capacity.

• 1 worked in a local government role for the Mayor of London.

• 1 other works for a pressure group.

Beyond this, one former MP works for a non-profit heritage restoration project. The last has not declared any formal employment since leaving Parliament in 2019.

Full list of returning MPs:

• Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East, 2010 – 2018) – Was a Deputy Mayor of London with a specialist focus on transport policy. Now the candidate in Swindon South.

• John Grogan (Selby, 1997 - 2010 & Keighley, 2017 – 2019) – Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Development for the Labour Party. Now the candidate in Keighley and Ilkley.

• Jo Platt (Leigh, 2017 -2017) – General Manager of Leigh Spinners Mill, a not-for-profit heritage restoration project. Standing in Leigh again.

• James Frith (Bury North, 2017 – 2019) – Senior Counsel at Atticus Partners (PR and Comms). Standing in Bury North again.

• Anna Turley (Redcar, 2015 – 2019) – Associate Director at Arden Strategies (PR and Comms). Standing in Redcar again.

• Pamela Nash (Airdie and Shotts, 2010 – 2015) – Scotland in Union (Pressure Group). Now the candidate in Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke (Formerly Motherwell and Wishaw).

• Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire South [Previously Paisley South], 1997 - 2015) – Founder and Director of Consequitur Limited (PR and Comms). Now the candidate in East Lothian.

• Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central, 2017 – 2019) – Campaign Manager for Liam Byrne’s 2021 West Midlands Mayoral Election (Political Party). Standing in Stoke Central again.

• Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East, 2010 – 2019) – Managing Director for The City UK, a professional association body that promotes the interests of its members (UK-based financial and related professional services). Now the candidate in Wycombe.

• Graham Jones (Hyndburn, 2010 -2019) – No publicly declared employment. Standing again in Haslingden and Hyndburn.

Additional:

Whilst not a former MP, Chris Elmore is a currently sitting MP for the soon-to-be abolished Ogmore constituency. He is set to contest Bridgend, one of our 100 seats.

For more information, please contact James Kirkup on jk@apellaadvisors.com or Liz Lynch on ll@apellaadvisors.com.