Mike Reader is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Northampton South since 2024. He gained the seat from Andrew Lewer, a Conservative.[1]

Mike Reader
Member of Parliament
for Northampton South
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byAndrew Lewer
Majority4,071 (9.3%)
Personal details
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour

Early life and career

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Reader studied civil engineering, graduating from Loughborough University in 2007 and then gaining an MSc at Coventry University in 2009. He worked at construction consultancy Pick Everard for 10 years.[2] While there, he helped found Perfect Circle, a joint venture with Gleeds and Aecom which created 500 jobs in the East Midlands.[2] He later told Construction News that his political ambitions were sparked while working for Pick Everard during the 2010–2015 Conservative-led coalition government: "I could see first-hand what public sector cuts meant on the ground, in terms of fixing schools with leaky roofs, repurposing hospitals and road and infrastructure maintenance".[3]

In 2017, he then joined the Mace construction business,[4] where he worked for over six years.[2] At Mace during the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked on a NHS Nightingale project as the construction team's operations director.[2]

Political career

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Selected to contest the Northampton South seat in March 2023,[5] Reader took a sabbatical from his job at Mace during the 2024 general election campaign; he said he expected to leave Mace if he was elected.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Northampton South | General Election 2024". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Marrs, Colin (2024-05-24). "Election 24: Mace director launches bid to become Labour MP". Construction News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  3. ^ Banks, Charlotte (9 July 2024). "'There's a lot of transferrable skills': ex-Mace MP on his journey to parliament". Construction News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ Dransfield, Louise (27 November 2017). "Mace nabs Pick Everard director to boost infrastructure work". Building. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. ^ Briant, Nathan (7 March 2023). "Labour picks Mike Reader as its candidate for Northampton South at the next general election". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Northampton South

2024
Incumbent