Remove ads
Andrew Alan Lewin (born 7 January 1987) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Welwyn Hatfield since the 2024 general election.[1]
Andrew Lewin | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Grant Shapps |
| Majority | 3,799 (7.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrew Alan Lewin 7 January 1987 Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal Democrats (2003–2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | The Bishop's Stortford High School |
| Alma mater | University of York (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | andrewlewin |
Remove ads
Lewin was born on 7 January 1987 at the original Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.[2][3][4] He attended The Bishop's Stortford High School from 1998 to 2005 before graduating from the University of York with a BA in Politics in 2008.[5][6][7]
Remove ads
Lewin joined the Liberal Democrats in 2003, while still at secondary school. He was selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Hertford and Stortford in October 2009.[8] In the 2010 general election, 23-year-old Lewin, the youngest Lib Dem candidate in England, lost to Mark Prisk of the Conservative Party by a margin of 15,437 votes.[9] In November 2010, Lewin defected to the Labour Party, citing his dissatisfaction with the decisions of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and the coalition government, specifically the trebling of university tuition fees, as his reason.[10][11]
In response to the 2016 Brexit referendum, Lewin founded the pro-European group Remain Labour in 2017 and ran the group until its dissolution in 2021.[12] He endorsed Jess Phillips in the 2020 Labour leadership election.[13] Lewin was selected as the Labour Party parliamentary candidate for Welwyn Hatfield by members of the constituency Labour Party in March 2023.[14] He won the constituency in the 2024 general election, defeating the incumbent Conservative Grant Shapps by a margin of 3,799 votes.[1] Lewin was sworn in by solemn affirmation, rather than an oath, on 10 July.[15][16]
In November 2024, Lewin was elected Chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Cricket.[17] The following month, Lewin was elected Chair of the UK Trade and Business Commission and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on New Towns.[18][19][20]
Remove ads
Brexit
Lewin has previously campaigned in favour of remaining in the European Union (EU).[5] He cited his reasons for setting up Remain Labour as being due to his belief that "Brexit would hit hardest those who have least."[13] He also said it was the responsibility of the Labour party to stand against a project which he said would do "most damage" to the "poorest communities."[13]
Ahead of the 2019 general election, Lewin called for a "Remain Alliance" consisting of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens to be formed in opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[21] He said that the prospect of a no-deal Brexit was "motivation enough" to form the alliance, and called on the parties to recognise that they had "more in common" instead of exaggerating their differences "for party gain".[21]
In an article Lewin wrote for LabourList in June 2022, he said that many wearily "read reports that prove beyond doubt that Brexit has set us back" and said that the impact was seen in communities; citing a 6% rise in food prices as being "directly attributed" to leaving the EU.[22] He called on Labour to make an "early manifesto pledge" to not rejoin the EU in its first term in power, saying that any proposal would "consume" a first-term Labour government and potentially "play into the hands of the Conservatives", and also stated that he thought it was "inconceivable" that all EU member states would welcome the UK back into the EU.[22] He also called on Labour to set out priority for cooperation with the EU regarding scientific research, climate change and energy security, and also to commit to a stronger trading relationship with the EU ahead of the next general election.[22]
Assisted dying
In November 2024, Lewin voted in support of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a bill to legalise assisted dying, after all MPs were given a free vote.[23][24] He stated that, whilst he respected "deeply held positions" on either side of the debate, he believed that those with terminal illnesses, or without the financial means to undergo the procedure at Dignitas in Switzerland, should be allowed the option of assisted dying with "appropriate safeguards". Lewin also opined that the bill's proposed safeguards were "arguably the strongest in the world".[25]
Remove ads
Lewin lives in Welwyn Garden City with his wife and two sons.[26][3] He worked at Clarion Housing Group from 2017 until his election to Parliament in 2024. At Clarion, Lewin was initially the head of external communications until his promotion in 2021 to director of communications, a role he held until becoming an MP.[27]
Remove ads
2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Andrew Lewin | 19,877 | 41.0 | +9.3 | |
| Conservative | Grant Shapps | 16,078 | 33.2 | −19.4 | |
| Reform UK | Jack Aaron | 6,397 | 13.2 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Munro | 3,117 | 6.4 | −6.3 | |
| Green | Sarah Butcher | 2,986 | 6.2 | +3.1 | |
| Majority | 3,799 | 7.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 48,455 | 64.6 | −4.9 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +14.4 | |||
2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Prisk | 29,810 | 53.8 | +3.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Lewin | 14,373 | 26.0 | +7.5 | |
| Labour | Stephen Terry | 7,620 | 13.8 | –10.5 | |
| UKIP | David Sodey | 1,716 | 3.1 | +1.0 | |
| BNP | Roy Harris | 1,297 | 2.3 | N/A | |
| Independent | Loucas Xenophontos | 325 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Independent | Martin Adams | 236 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 15,437 | 27.8 |  1.4 | ||
| Turnout | 55,377 | 70.6 | +4.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | –1.9 | |||
Remove ads
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads