Chris Williamson profile



Christopher Williamson (born 16 September 1956) has been the Member of Parliament for Derby North since 8 June 2017, having served previously for the same seat from 2010 until 2015. He was Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government for three years between October 2010 and October 2013.

Williamson was also previously a local councillor in Derby, representing the Normanton ward from 1991 until his resignation in 2011. He served as leader of Derby City Council twice.

Parliamentary career
Williamson was the second newly elected MP of the 2010 intake.

In October 2010, he became Shadow Fire and Emergency Services Minister within the Shadow Communities and Local Government team after serving just four months as an MP but after the reshuffle of the party in 2013; his role as Shadow Minister was replaced by Lyn Brown.

He served as a member of the Communities and Local Government Committee between July and November 2010 and November 2013 to March 2015.

He was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.

At the 2015 general election, Williamson lost the Derby North seat to Amanda Solloway of the Conservative Party by 41 votes.

The Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn described Williamson in early 2016 as a "very great friend", saying that his defeat at the 2015 general election was "the worst result of that night". Williamson is an ally of Jeremy Corbyn and during the 2017 general election campaign he was described by the New Statesman as the "most pro-Jeremy Corbyn candidate in England’s most marginal constituency". Williamson expressed that his 2017 general election campaign in Derby North would be a "test case for Corbynism", and Corbyn campaigned for Williamson on 6 May.

At the unexpected general election, Williamson regained his former seat from Amanda Solloway of the Conservative Party with a majority of 2,015 votes. On 3 July 2017, Williamson was appointed as Shadow Fire and Emergency Services Minister within the Shadow Home Office team.