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James Frith

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For the English bowls player, see James Frith (bowls).

James Frith
MP
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament
for Bury North
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byJames Daly
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byDavid Nuttall
Succeeded byJames Daly
Member of Bury Council
for Elton
In office
5 May 2011 – 7 May 2015
Preceded byDenise Bigg
Succeeded byMichael Hankey
Personal details
Born (1977-04-23) 23 April 1977 (age 47)
London, England, UK
Political partyLabour
SpouseNikki Frith
Children4
ParentRichard Frith
Alma materManchester Metropolitan University

James Richard Frith (born 23 April 1977) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North since 2024. He was previously the MP from 2017 to 2019.[1]

Early life and career

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Frith was born in London on 23 April 1977,[2][3] the son of Richard Frith, who formerly served as Bishop of Hull and Bishop of Hereford. He was privately educated at both Monkton Combe School and Taunton School, and then studied Politics and Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University.[4]

Frith was the lead singer in a rock band called Finka, and later another band, the Fusileers, performing nationwide at venues and festivals including Glastonbury.[5][6]

During the 2005 General Election campaign, Frith worked as a Campaign and Communications Manager for the Labour Party and Ruth Kelly MP, then Secretary of State for Education.[4]

Before his election to Parliament, Frith was the CEO and Founder of All Together, a social enterprise providing careers education and guidance services to young people to help them get into work.[5]

Political career

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In the 2010 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election, Frith unsuccessfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for Elton ward against incumbent Conservative Michael Hankey.[7] He successfully stood for Elton ward again in 2011, gaining the open seat from the Conservatives after disgraced incumbent Denise Bigg chose not to seek re-election.[7][8] Frith became the first Labour councillor to represent the ward since 2002.[7]

Frith sat on the Licensing Committee during his four-year term as a Councillor,[4] and opted to run for Parliament rather than seek re-election.[9]

After being selected as the Labour Party candidate in Bury North for the 2015 General Election, he was profiled by the Young Fabians during the 2015 General Election campaign for a pamphlet on prospective parliamentary candidates named 'Fifteen for 2015'. In the pamphlet, Frith said "I think [Blair] did more for ordinary people and families than any government since", but added New Labour “should have gone further and faster”.[10] He lost to incumbent Conservative David Nuttall by 378 votes despite a swing to Labour.[11]

Frith contributed to the Fabian Society's book Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats after his election defeat, criticising the leadership's 'failure to build on Labour's excellent record on enterprise and skills in government by engaging properly with the business community'.[12]

He was re-selected to stand as the Labour candidate for Bury North in the 2017 General Election, fending off a challenge from high-profile candidate Karen Danczuk.[13]

Parliamentary career

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Frith was elected as Member of Parliament for Bury North in 2017, defeating incumbent Conservative David Nuttall with a majority of 4,375.[14] He made his maiden speech on 19 July 2017 during the debate on tuition fees.[15]

Frith was a member of the Education Select Committee from 2017 to 2019,[1] and chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospice and End of Life Care.[4] In May 2018, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Healey MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing.[16]

He edited a book entitled New Brooms, published by the Fabian Society in 2018, featuring a collection of essays on parliamentary reform written by several Labour MPs from the 2017 intake.[17]

In July 2019, Frith worked alongside UK Music to secure and lead a debate in Westminster Hall on the decline of music in education, during which he urged the government combat the crisis facing music in education.[6]

He lost his seat in the 2019 General Election to James Daly, Bury Council's Conservative Group Leader, by 105 votes and conceded after three recounts.[18][19] Following his defeat, Frith described feeling a "a degree of release" from the weeks campaigning, but added he felt the impact of being "inches from winning".[18]

He was re-elected in the 2024 General Election to Bury North and sits on the Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee.

Post-parliamentary activity

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In an opinion piece for LabourList during the 2020 Labour Leadership Election, Frith invited all the candidates to visit his marginal constituency to better understand the seats they need to win. Also in the piece, he was critical of the party's 2019 General Election campaign for 'sending hundreds of activists to Tory seats that we had no hope of winning' and cautioned against creating a 'manifesto that nobody believes'.[20]

Frith now works for Atticus Partners, a political lobbying and PR group.

Personal life

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Frith and his wife Nikki have been Bury residents since 2009, where they have raised their four children.[5] He has spoken about the challenges of balancing family life whilst being a Member of Parliament.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Frith MP". UK Parliament.
  2. ^ "FRITH, James Richard". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "James Frith MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "James Frith - LinkedIn".
  5. ^ a b c "About me". James Frith. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b "MP Who Once Played Glastonbury Leads Parliament Debate on Crisis in Music Education". James Frith. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Drink drive councillor thought wine was alcohol-free". Manchester Evening News. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Councillor details - Councillor James Frith". councildecisions.bury.gov.uk. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  10. ^ Jervis, Joe (26 April 2015). "Fifteen for 2015: The Rock Star Politician". Young Fabians. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News". Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats" (PDF).
  13. ^ "James Frith announced as Labour candidate for Bury North ahead of Karen Danczuk". Bury Times. May 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Bury North (Constituency) 2017 results - General election results - UK Parliament". electionresults.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Hansard". Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Bury MP's 'delight' over new parliamentary role". Bury Times. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  17. ^ "New Brooms | Fabian Society". 12 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  18. ^ a b "General election 2019: What's it like to lose your seat as an MP?". BBC News. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  20. ^ Frith, James (4 February 2020). "How will candidates fight to win the country, not just the conference hall?". LabourList. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Inspiring Dads - James Frith - MP and a Dad of 4". Inspiring Dads. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Bury North
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
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