Alex Ballinger is the Labour Party MP for Halesowen, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Ballinger won 15,023 votes, representing 38.9% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, James Morris, received 10,659 votes (27.6%), while the Reform UK candidate, Jonathan Oakton, secured 8,484 votes (22.0%). Ballinger was duly elected with a majority of 4,364.

The Halesowen constituency was newly created for the 2024 general election. It was formed primarily from the former Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency and parts of Stourbridge.

The predecessor Halesowen and Rowley Regis seat had been held by James Morris and the Conservatives since 2010.

Political Career

Ballinger is a member of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee (since December 2024) – the committee responsible for examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other associated bodies.

In May 2026, Ballinger publicly called for Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to step down/set out a timetable for his departure. The move followed the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru.

In January 2026, Ballinger was one of over 60 Labour MPs to sign a letter to the prime minister calling for the introduction of an Australia-style ban on social media access for children under the age of 16. Organised by Plymouth Moor View MP Fred Thomas, the initiative brought together a cross-factional coalition of backbenchers – spanning the Socialist Campaign Group, Tribune Group and Blue Labour – to demand action.

The letter called on Keir Starmer to “show leadership” by introducing a minimum age for social media access “to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms”.

It stated: “We are all strong supporters of technology, and of this Labour government’s ambition to use tech to improve lives. But successive governments have done far too little to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms.”

In the wake of the 2024 general election, which saw Labour returned to power after 14 years in opposition, Ballinger was appointed by 10 Downing Street as a “mission champion” for the West Midlands – a role intended to cut across departmental boundaries and support Labour’s programme for “national renewal”. These “missions”, first set out in 2023 and subsequently given less prominence, included boosting economic growth, reducing NHS waiting times, tackling crime, establishing a publicly owned clean energy company and expanding educational opportunity.

Ballinger is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for armed forces (chair), conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding (chair), and gambling reform (co-chair).

In July 2025, Ballinger called for a new gambling act “more relevant for the modern internet age”.

In an interview with PoliticsHome, Ballinger highlighted the specific impact of gambling on the armed forces, stating that veterans and serving personnel are 10 times more likely to suffer from addiction than the general public.

He said that “people don’t realise the scale of the problem of gambling harm in this country”.

He added: “We’re looking at ways that we can reduce that harm to people, and so that those particular types of gambling pay more for the costs that they’re causing to the community. And the way we do that is through the taxation system.”

Ballinger further criticised the “revolving door” between Westminster and the gambling and tobacco industries.

Ballinger delivered his maiden speech on 11 September 2024 in a debate on building safety and resilience.

In it, he said: “I know that the people of Halesowen will stand up for the vulnerable, because I have seen it myself. When I visited Lifecentral church, I was humbled to see the help that it gives to struggling young people, asylum seekers and the older generations.”

He added: “That is just a snapshot of the charitable work happening across the constituency, which is full of passionate people dedicated to serving their community.

“As I begin my time in this place, I know that I want to continue that tradition of service – the service that my family has given in uniform, the service that the people of Halesowen have demonstrated to their community time and again, and the service that this Government will deliver as we rebuild the country.

“I thank the people of Halesowen again for electing me as their representative. I have served my country for the past 20 years, and I will serve them as their member of Parliament with the same dedication.”

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Ballinger was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Factional identity and party tradition

Living Standards Coalition: Ballinger is a member of the Living Standards Coalition. Established in July 2025, the group’s stated aim was to develop and promote policy ideas that directly reduce everyday costs for households, particularly in areas such as food, energy, housing and childcare. In an open letter published upon its founding, addressed to Keir Starmer, the MPs wrote: “Our constituents will ask one question at the next election: did this Labour government make me better off?”

They added: “To raise living standards, we support government interventions that will help to increase incomes and lower costs.”

SERA: Ballinger has been listed as a member of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) – a socialist society affiliated with the Labour Party. Founded in 1973, SERA is the party’s official environmental campaign group. The organisation campaigns on a wide range of issues, including renewable energy, biodiversity, air quality and the transition to a green economy. SERA describes its member MPs as “champions for the environment”.

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Ballinger voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Ballinger 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

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Ballinger 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

LFPME: Ballinger has been listed as a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME). The organisation’s stated aim is to promote peace and justice in the region through the application of international law and respect for human rights.

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Ballinger 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.

In September 2025, Ballinger told a Labour Party conference event that believed Israel to be committing genocide in Gaza.

He said: “I think what is going on in Gaza right now meets the conditions for being a genocide.

“Whether or not that really changes the approach the government is taking, I don’t know, because we’re already seeing with our own eyes the number of war crimes that are being committed.”

Before Politics

Born Alexander Robert Ballinger, he served in the Royal Marines from 2005 to 2013, retiring with the rank of Captain.

Following his military service, he worked as an aid worker in the Middle East for the Department for International Development (DfID). He worked in Pakistan for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

During the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021, Ballinger led a team that helped refugees flee Taliban rule across the border to Pakistan.

Subsequently, Ballinger ran a mental health charity based in Birmingham and the Black Country.

Personal Life

Ballinger’s brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served in the military.

In his 2024 maiden speech, Ballinger said his great-grandfather, Wilfred Ballinger, fought at the Somme in 1916.

He stated: “His son, Frank Ballinger, served in the Navy, and landed to take part in the Italian campaign in 1944, and my dad, Robert Ballinger, spent 35 years in the Air Force, serving in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.

“When both my brother and I followed in their footsteps and were sent to Afghanistan together in 2006, we felt like we were continuing the Ballinger family tradition.”

Trivia

Ballinger is a former Royal Marines Captain.