Stephen Morgan

Stephen Morgan’s unexpected victory in Portsmouth South at the 2017 general election made him the first Labour MP to represent the constituency in its 99-year history, increasing his party’s share of the vote by 9.4 per cent. Morgan’s rapid rise through the ranks of Labour was surprising in itself. He was first elected to Portsmouth City Council in May 2016, before becoming the leader of the council’s Labour group later that year. Having spent many years as the head of community engagement for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as well as working as CEO of Basingstoke Voluntary Action, Morgan’s priorities include public services, educational opportunities and support for the armed forces, particularly in mental health. He also repeatedly raised concerns over the impact of a no-deal Brexit on Portsmouth international docks and what the Trade Policy Observatory estimated could be 43,000 job losses in the area. Morgan is currently shadow minister for defence, and has previously been shadow minister for local government (communities) and served on the Public Accounts Committee. He has criticised spending cuts in schools and is a member of LGBT Labour.