Matt Western

Matt Western was first elected as the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington in the 2017 snap general election. He grew up in St Albans and read geography at the University of Bristol and then worked for Peugeot in finance and marketing. His political career began in 2013 when he was elected to the Leamington Wiles ward on Warwickshire County Council, and he went on, four years later, to take Warwick and Leamington from the Conservatives on a swing of 7.6 per cent with a majority of 1,206. During his time as a parliamentarian, Western has advocated reducing the voting age to 16, arguing that “a 16-year-old can marry, work, pay tax, and join the army” and therefore ought to be able to “influence decisions” made in parliament that may “define their future.” Western has been a member of both the International Trade and the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committees up until parliament was dissolved for its December election of 2019. He is currently opposition whip and has spoken out on issues such as social housing, sustainable energy and has pledged not to report constituents for immigration enforcement.