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Andrew Lewin

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Andrew Lewin
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Welwyn Hatfield
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byGrant Shapps
Majority3,799 (7.8%)
Personal details
Born
Andrew Alan Lewin

(1987-01-07) 7 January 1987 (age 37)
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
Political partyLabour
Other political
affiliations		Liberal Democrats (2003–2010)
Children2
EducationThe Bishop's Stortford High School
Alma materUniversity of York (BA)
Signature
Websiteandrewlewin.co.uk

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]

Early life and education

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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

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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]

Political positions

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Brexit

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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

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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]

Personal life

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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]

Electoral history

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2020s

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General election 2024: Welwyn Hatfield[28][29]
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

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General election 2010: Hertford and Stortford[30]
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 Increase1.4
Turnout 55,377 70.6 4.1
Conservative hold Swing –1.9

References

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  1. ^ a b "Welwyn Hatfield - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ a b Mountney, Dan (30 January 2023). "The Welwyn Hatfield Labour candidate who could challenge Grant Shapps". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Andrew Lewin & Hugo Mann (1998-2005)". The Bishop’s Stortford High School. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  7. ^ Lewis, Haydn (10 July 2008). "University of York degree results". The Press. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  8. ^ Duffett, Helen (21 October 2009). "Andrew Lewin selected for Lib Dems in Hertford and Stortford". Liberal Democrat Voice. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Election for the constituency of Hertford and Stortford on 6 May 2010". UK Parliament. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  10. ^ Grice, Andrew (8 November 2010). "Lib Dem defects after 'six months of Clegg U-turns'". The Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  11. ^ Lewin, Andrew (8 November 2010). "Fighting for my generation, why I'm joining the Labour party". LabourList. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  12. ^ "REMAIN LABOUR LTD overview". Companies House. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Andrew Lewin selected as Parliamentary candidate for Welwyn Hatfield". Welwyn Hatfield Constituency Labour Party. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 20 November 2024] - Cricket". UK Parliament. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  18. ^ "UK Trade and Business Commission: Frequently Asked Questions". UK Trade and Business Commission. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  19. ^ Lewin, Andrew [@Andrew_Lewin_] (6 December 2024). "It's a privilege to be the new Chair of @UKTradeBusiness. Today we share new polling showing how the country has moved on from the binary Leave/Remain divide. This is a time of opportunity for all who want to rebuild a strong UK/EU relationship" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 December 2024 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "All-Party Parliamentary Group on New Towns". Town and Country Planning Association. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  21. ^ a b Lewin, Andrew (26 July 2019). "A remain alliance is our last chance to beat Boris Johnson". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill". UK Parliament. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  24. ^ Morton, Becky (29 November 2024). "MPs back proposals to legalise assisted dying". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  25. ^ Lewin, Andrew (28 November 2024). "Andrew Lewin MP: Voting on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Meet Our Candidate". Welwyn Hatfield Constituency Labour Party. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Clarion comms director aiming to unseat former housing minister Grant Shapps in Welwyn & Hatfield". Housing Today. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  28. ^ "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.
  29. ^ "UK Parliamentary Election Results 4 July 2024". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  30. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Welwyn Hatfield
2024–present 		Incumbent
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