Ian Byrne (politician)


Ian Robert Byrne is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since the 2019 general election.

Early life and career

Byrne grew up on the Stockbridge Village estate in Liverpool. At the age of 17 he was present at the Hillsborough disaster and escaped before the crush occurred, however his father was seriously injured.
He worked as a taxi driver while studying at The Open University and gaining a degree over six years. He was an active member of Unite the union, where he later got a job as a trade union organiser. His work included organising sub-contracted NHS workers for better pay and conditions.
In 2015, Byrne co-founded Fans Supporting Foodbanks, a community initiative by football fans to tackle food poverty in Liverpool. Before becoming an MP, he worked with Dan Carden in the neighbouring constituency of Liverpool Walton.

Political career

In 2018, Byrne was elected as a councillor to Liverpool City Council, representing the Everton ward alongside Labour's Cllr Jane Corbett and Cllr Frank Prendergast MBE. He continues to serve as a local councillor, donating his councillor's allowance to Vauxhall Law Centre.
On 3 November 2019, Byrne was selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool West Derby, after the previous Labour MP Stephen Twigg announced he would be standing down at the 2019 general election. On 12 December 2019, Byrne was elected with 34,117 votes. This represented 77.6% of the vote share.
Byrne is on the left of the Labour Party and was a supporter of the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and backed his Campaign Group colleagues Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon in the 2020 Labour leadership election and deputy leadership election.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Byrne worked with Fans Supporting Foodbanks to scale up food distribution in Liverpool and co-ordinate local efforts to produce personal protective equipment for frontline NHS and care workers.

Personal life

Byrne is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club and a committee member of Liverpool supporters' union Spirit of Shankly.