Ruth George


Ruth Stephanie Nicole George is a British Labour Party politician, who became the Member of Parliament for High Peak in Derbyshire at the 2017 United Kingdom general election. George lost the seat back to the Conservatives at the 2019 general election, and now serves as a local councillor in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire.

Early life and professional career

George grew up in Somerset, and attended the independent Millfield boarding school before moving to study Politics and Modern History at the University of Manchester.
George trained as a tax accountant and, while in her twenties, helped to found an accountancy business in Chapel-en-le-Frith. Before becoming an MP, George worked at the Central Office of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers in Manchester.

Parliamentary career

George was elected to represent the High Peak in Derbyshire at the 2017 United Kingdom general election. She defeated the incumbent Conservative MP Andrew Bingham with a swing of 7%.
In the vote of January 2019, George voted against the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
On 19 February 2019, after a Labour councillor suggested The Independent Group's financial backers were "Israelis" on Facebook, George responded that 'Support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour ‘Friends of Israel’ of which Luciana was chair is possible and I would not condemn those who suggest it, especially when the group's financial backers are not being revealed'. Acknowledging that she had invoked an antisemitic conspiracy theory, after criticism from Jewish groups, she apologised and withdrew her comment.
On Wednesday 27 March 2019, her Ten Minute Rule Bill calling for sky lanterns to be banned, after there had been some major fires, was passed.
After just over two years in post, she was defeated by Conservative Robert Largan at the 2019 general election. In February 2020, George was elected for Labour to Derbyshire County Council for Whaley Bridge in a by-election.