Dan Aldridge

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Dan Aldridge
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Weston-super-Mare
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byJohn Penrose
Majority4,409 (10.4%)
Personal details
Born1984 or 1985 (age 39–40)
Political partyLabour
EducationWeston College
University of Exeter
Northumbria University (MSc)

Daniel Aldridge (born 1984 or 1985)[1] is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Weston-super-Mare since the 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he is the first from his party to represent the constituency.

Early life and education

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Aldridge is originally from Stoke-on-Trent.[1] His sister is a nurse in Weston who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Aldridge studied for his A-levels at Weston College, before studying psychology at the University of Exeter and obtaining a MSc from Northumbria University.[1]

Career

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Prior to the 2024 general election, Aldridge was the Head of Policy at the British Computer Society.[3] He previously worked for the and Office for Students, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the charity Stonewall.[3]

Political career

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On 13 March 2024, Aldridge was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the constituency of Weston-super-Mare for the 2024 general election by local party members at a hustings event at The Royal Hotel.[1] He was selected from a short-list of three, which included former MEP Alex Mayer.[1]

He won 16,310 votes in the election with a majority of 4,409 votes, defeating the incumbent MP John Penrose.[4][5] He became the first Labour MP to represent the constituency.[6]

Personal life

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Aldridge permanently moved to Weston in 2001 with his parents and siblings, having been there on a caravan holiday the previous year.[7]

In 2024, PinkNews listed Aldridge among a number of out LGBTQ+ parliamentarians.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "'I know Weston and our people': Labour Party names new candidate". Weston Mercury. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. ^ Hobbs, Phoebe (2024-04-06). "Meet the man campaigning to become Weston's first Labour MP". Somerset Live. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. ^ a b "Daniel Aldridge | Software Sustainability Institute". www.software.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  4. ^ "Weston-super-Mare | General Election 2024 | Sky News". election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  5. ^ "UK general election results live: Keir Starmer says 'time for us to deliver' as Nigel Farage becomes MP". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  6. ^ "New MP's mother: 'I'm so proud of you'". BBC News. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  7. ^ "About | Daniel Aldridge for Weston-super-Mare". Dan Aldridge for Weston-super-Mare | Making Westminster work for Weston. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  8. ^ "Number of out LGBTQ+ MPS falls following election".
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