James Frith

James Richard Frith (born 23 April 1977) is British politician who served as the Labour Member of Parliament for Bury North from 2017 to 2019.[1]

For the English bowls player, see James Frith (bowls).
James Frith
Frith in 2017
Member of Parliament
for Bury North
In office
9 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byDavid Nuttall
Succeeded byJames Daly
Member of Bury Metropolitan Borough Council for Elton Ward
In office
5 May 2011 – 7 May 2015
Preceded byDenise Bigg
Succeeded byMichael Hankey
Personal details
Born (1977-04-23) 23 April 1977
London, England, UK
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Nikki Frith
Children4
ParentsRichard Frith
Alma materManchester Metropolitan University

Early life and career

Frith was born in London on 23 April 1977,[2][3] the son of Richard Frith, who formerly served as the Bishop of Hull and Hereford. Frith was educated at Monkton Combe School and Taunton School, and studied Politics and Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University.[4]

Frith was the lead singer in the rock band Finka, and later the Fusileers, performing nationwide at venues and festivals including Glastonbury.[5][6]

He has held a number of positions in both the public and private sectors.[4] During the 2005 General Election campaign, Frith worked as a Campaign and Communications Manager for the Labour Party and Ruth Kelly MP, the Secretary of State for Education.[4]

Prior his election to Parliament, Frith was the CEO and Founder of All Together, a social enterprise providing careers education and guidance services to young people to help them get into work.[5]

Political career

In the 2010 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election, Frith unsuccessfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for Elton Ward against incumbent Conservative Michael Hankey.[7] Frith successfully stood for the second time in Elton Ward in 2011, gaining the open seat from the Conservatives after disgraced incumbent Denise Bigg didn't seek re-election.[7][8] He became the first Labour councillor to represent the ward since 2002.[7]

Frith sat on the Licensing Committee during his four-year term as a Councillor,[4] and opted to run for Parliament rather than seek re-election.[9]

After being selected as the Labour Party candidate in Bury North for the 2015 General Election, Frith lost to incumbent Conservative David Nuttall by 378 votes. The constituency saw a 2.1% swing from Conservative to Labour and a 5.9% increase in Labour's vote share.[10]

He was profiled by the Young Fabians during the 2015 General Election campaign for a pamphlet on prospective parliamentary candidates named 'Fifteen for 2015'. In the pamphlet, Frith said "I think [Blair] did more for ordinary people and families than any government since", but added New Labour “should have gone further and faster”.[11]

Frith contributed to the Fabian Society's book 'Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats' after his election defeat, criticising the leadership's 'failure to build on Labour’s excellent record on enterprise and skills in government by engaging properly with the business community'.[12]

Frith was re-selected to stand as the Labour candidate for Bury North in the 2017 General Election, fending off a challenge from high-profile candidate Karen Danczuk.[13]

He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bury North in 2017, defeating incumbent Conservative David Nuttall with a majority of 4,375. The constituency saw a 5% swing from Conservative to Labour and a 12.5% increase in Labour's vote share.[14] He made his maiden speech on 19 July 2017 during the debate on tuition fees.[15]

Frith was a member of the Education Select Committee from 2017 to 2019,[1] and chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospice and End of Life Care.[4] In May 2018, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Healey MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing.[16]

He edited a book entitled 'New Brooms', published by the Fabian Society in 2018, featuring a collection of essays on parliamentary reform written by several Labour MPs from the 2017 intake.[17]

In July 2019, Frith worked alongside UK Music to secure and lead a debate in Westminster Hall on the decline of music in education, during which he urged the government combat the crisis facing music in education.[6]

He lost his seat in the 2019 General Election to James Daly, Bury Council's Conservative Group Leader, by 105 votes and conceded after three recounts.[18] Bury North saw a 4.7% swing from Labour to Conservative and Labour's vote share declined by 7.6%.[19] Following his defeat, Frith described feeling a "a degree of release" from the weeks campaigning, but added he felt the impact of being "inches from winning".[18]

In an opinion piece for LabourList during the 2020 Labour Leadership Election, Frith invited all the candidates to visit his marginal constituency to better understand the seats they need to win. Also in the piece, he was critical of the party's 2019 General Election campaign for 'sending hundreds of activists to Tory seats that we had no hope of winning' and cautioned against creating a 'manifesto that nobody believes'.[20]

Personal life

His father is Anglican Bishop Richard Frith, the former Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of Hull.[2]

Frith and his wife Nikki have been Bury residents since 2009, where they've raised their four children.[5] He has spoken about the challenges of balancing family life with being a Member of Parliament.[21]

References
  1. "James Frith MP". UK Parliament.
  2. "FRITH, James Richard". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  3. "James Frith MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. "James Frith - LinkedIn".
  5. "About me". James Frith. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  6. "MP WHO ONCE PLAYED GLASTONBURY LEADS PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON CRISIS IN MUSIC EDUCATION". James Frith. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  7. "Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF).
  8. News, Manchester Evening (2010-01-26). "Drink drive councillor thought wine was alcohol-free". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  9. "Councillor details - Councillor James Frith". councildecisions.bury.gov.uk. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  10. "Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News". Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  11. April, Joe Jervis Posted on 26; 2015. "Fifteen for 2015: The Rock Star Politician". Young Fabians. Retrieved 2021-01-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. "Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats" (PDF).
  13. "James Frith announced as Labour candidate for Bury North ahead of Karen Danczuk". Bury Times. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  14. "Bury North (Constituency) 2017 results - General election results - UK Parliament". electionresults.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  15. "Hansard". Parliament. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  16. "Bury MP's 'delight' over new parliamentary role". Bury Times. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  17. "New Brooms | Fabian Society". Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  18. "General election 2019: What's it like to lose your seat as an MP?". BBC News. 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  19. "Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  20. Frith, James. "How will candidates fight to win the country, not just the conference hall?". LabourList. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  21. "Inspiring Dads - James Frith - MP and a Dad of 4". Inspiring Dads. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
David Nuttall		 Member of Parliament for Bury North
2017–2019		 Succeeded by
James Daly


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