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 |
Early life and education
editAndrew Alan 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]
Political career
editLewin 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] Lewin 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]
Political positions
editBrexit
editLewin 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.[17] 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".[17]
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.[18] 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.[18] 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.[18]
Personal life
editLewin lives in Welwyn Garden City with his wife and two sons.[19][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.[20]
Electoral history
edit2020s
edit| 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
edit| 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 | |||
References
edit- ^ a b "Welwyn Hatfield - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b Mountney, Dan (30 January 2023). "The Welwyn Hatfield Labour candidate who could challenge Grant Shapps". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Lewin, Andrew [@Andrew_Lewin_] (7 January 2024). "It's my birthday 🎂 By the next one, we'll all have had our chance to vote for change. The best present I could ask for would be a small donation to our campaign in Welwyn Hatfield. Help us beat Grant Shapps and elect a Labour government.🌹" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Corr, Sinead (30 May 2024). "Defence Secretary Grant Shapps under attack from former Bishop's Stortford High School student Andrew Lewin bidding to become Labour MP for Welwyn Hatfield". Bishop's Stortford Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Andrew Lewin & Hugo Mann (1998-2005)". The Bishop’s Stortford High School. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Haydn (10 July 2008). "University of York degree results". The Press. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Duffett, Helen (21 October 2009). "Andrew Lewin selected for Lib Dems in Hertford and Stortford". Liberal Democrat Voice. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Election for the constituency of Hertford and Stortford on 6 May 2010". UK Parliament. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Grice, Andrew (8 November 2010). "Lib Dem defects after 'six months of Clegg U-turns'". The Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Lewin, Andrew (8 November 2010). "Fighting for my generation, why I'm joining the Labour party". LabourList. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "REMAIN LABOUR LTD overview". Companies House. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Lewin, Andrew (14 January 2020). "The courage to change – why I'm backing Jess Phillips to lead". LabourList. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Andrew Lewin selected as Parliamentary candidate for Welwyn Hatfield". Welwyn Hatfield Constituency Labour Party. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Lewin, Andrew [@Andrew_Lewin_] (10 July 2024). "I am now officially sworn in as the Labour Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Lewin, Andrew (26 July 2019). "A remain alliance is our last chance to beat Boris Johnson". Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Lewin, Andrew (17 June 2022). "The Conservatives want another fight with the EU: how should Labour respond?". LabourList. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Meet Our Candidate". Welwyn Hatfield Constituency Labour Party. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Clarion comms director aiming to unseat former housing minister Grant Shapps in Welwyn & Hatfield". Housing Today. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. 7 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "UK Parliamentary Election Results 4 July 2024". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
External links
edit- Andrew Lewin for Welwyn Hatfield Official constituency site
- Andrew Lewin on Twitter
