Ben Maguire is the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Maguire won 24,094 votes, representing 47.0% of the vote. The Conservative incumbent, Scott Mann, received 14,137 votes (27.6%), while the Reform UK candidate, Rowland O’Connor, secured 8,444 votes (16.5%). Maguire was duly elected with a majority of 9,957.

The North Cornwall constituency, created in 1918, has frequently changed hands between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats (and its predecessor, the Liberal Party).  

Maguire’s immediate predecessor as the MP for North Cornwall was Scott Mann of the Conservative Party. Mann held the seat from 2015 to 2024.

Political Career

Maguire currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as shadow attorney general. He was appointed to this role in September 2024.

Maguire is also a member of the House of Commons home affairs select committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for scrutinising the work of the Home Office and its associated bodies. It examines government policy, spending and the law in areas including immigration, security and policing.

In October 2024, Maguire called for the establishment of a devolved legislative assembly for Cornwall during a session of prime minister’s questions. He argued that devolution was crucial for unlocking the area’s economic potential.

Addressing the prime minister, Maguire maintained that a “top-down approach from Westminster has failed” Cornwall.

He stated: “Public services are chronically underfunded, with young people forced to move away to pursue careers elsewhere, and affordable housing is a promise that is simply never kept.

“Will the prime minister meet all six Cornish MPs to discuss devolution for Cornwall, with a Cornish assembly that recognises our unique culture, language and national minority status, so that we can finally unleash Cornwall’s economic potential?”

Keir Starmer responded: “I do believe in transferring power out of Westminster and into the hands of leaders who know their communities best. Those with skin in the game know what is best for their communities.”

Maguire is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for dairy (chair) and pubs.

Maguire delivered his maiden speech on 10 October 2024 during a debate on Team GB and Paralympics GB.

In it, he said: “With the new Government’s pledge to build more houses, I will be fighting to make sure that we do not continue to just see more and more executive homes without the appropriate infrastructure, and which are far beyond the reach of local people…

“Everyone in Cornwall must have a safe and secure place to live.”

He added: “My constituents, including many who did not vote at all, are fed up with the same broken political system, which, as I explained, seems to achieve very little for us in Cornwall.

“That is why, in addition to proper voting and fundamental political reform, I will be calling for meaningful devolution of powers, funding and responsibility from Whitehall to a Cornish legislative assembly.”

Political Views

The Liberal Democrats (or Lib Dems) are a liberal political party, occupying the centre to centre-left ground in British politics.

The preamble to the Lib Dem constitution begins: “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.”

The Liberal Democrat autumn conference in 2021 ratified a policy paper entitled What Liberal Democrats Believe. The paper, an attempt to expand on the constitution’s preamble, was framed around seven “principles and values”.

The party’s core values were described as “liberty, equality, democracy, community, internationalism and environmentalism.”

Maguire was endorsed by local groups of the cross-party organisation Compass during the 2024 general election. Compass is a thinktank and campaign group. As part of its “Win as One” campaign in the 2024 election, local Compass groups backed a slate of progressive candidates who had pledged their support for electoral reform. The central aim of the initiative was to elect a “caucus” of MPs who would champion the cause of replacing the first past the post electoral system.

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Maguire voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Electoral reform

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Maguire voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Assisted dying

Maguire voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Maguire was one of the 38 Liberal Democrat MPs who voted for the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 at its House of Commons third reading.

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Maguire voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Maguire was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Born in Truro, Cornwall on 10 August 1991, Maguire grew up in the village of Withiel, near Wadebridge. His mother was a teacher and his father a GP, both working in Bodmin.

He studied history at University College London (UCL), graduating in 2013. During his time at university, he founded and served as president of the Cornish Society. He obtained a graduate diploma in law from the University of Law in 2017.

After graduating, he worked as a parliamentary aide and constituency caseworker for former Liberal Democrat MPs Dan Rogerson and later Ian Swales. He also undertook research placements with the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the United States Senate.

From 2019 to 2021, Maguire worked as a trainee solicitor and then associate at Ince & Co.

Personal Life

Maguire is married.

In 2024, PinkNews listed Maguire among a number of out LGBTQ+ parliamentarians.

Two of Maguire’s siblings work locally as GPs, another brother is a carer. His two other siblings are local schoolteachers.

Trivia

Maguire was one of six Cornish MPs to swear their oath of allegiance in the Cornish language.