Andy MacNae is the Labour MP for Rossendale and Darwen, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, MacNae won 18,247 votes, representing 40.9% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Jake Berry, received 12,619 votes (28.3%), while the Reform UK candidate, Daniel Matchett, secured 9,695 votes (21.7%). MacNae was duly elected with a majority of 5,628.

The Rossendale and Darwen constituency is located in Lancashire in the North West of England. The seat was held by the Conservatives from 2010 to 2024, and by Labour from 1992 to 2010.

MacNae’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Rossendale and Darwen was Jake Berry of the Conservative Party.

Political Career

In July 2026, MacNae formed the Reindustrialisation Research Group (ReRG) of Labour MPs, reportedly “to develop proposals to advance the reindustrialisation agenda”.

In an article for LabourList, MacNae, the convenor of the group, wrote: “In seats like mine, we retain strengths in manufacturing, yet we could do so much more.

“The savage legacy of deindustrialisation is there for all to see, with derelict factories reminding us every day of a time when opportunity could be found on our doorstep, not far away in some distant city. Reversing deindustrialisation must be central to writing a new story for Britain.”

In the wake of the 2024 general election, which saw Labour returned to power after 14 years in opposition, MacNae was appointed by 10 Downing Street as a “mission champion” for North West – 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.

MacNae was then appointed as a government “business champion” for entertainment, events and sports in the North West – a role established in February 2025 to facilitate engagement between the Labour administration and the private sector.

The position was part of a network of approximately 40 MPs appointed by the Department for Business and Trade to act as conduits for industry views on government policy. The grouping operated under the oversight of Dan Tomlinson, the national “mission champion” for growth.

The selection of champions was designed to leverage the professional expertise of the 2024 intake of MPs, and the role was seen as an early step on the Westminster ladder. However, the scheme was reportedly scrapped in July 2025 following a meeting at 10 Downing Street. According to a Guido Fawkes report, the business champions were told that their services were no longer required.

In a July 2025 article for the New Statesman, MacNae argued that the government should end its apparent reliance on single-point fiscal forecasts.

He wrote: “We understand that weather forecasts are informed guesses. They deal in probabilities, not guarantees – and culturally, we use them with that understanding. But when it comes to economic forecasts, we seem to forget this common sense entirely…

“So what should we do? First, we must stop treating single-point estimates as gospel. They can be useful, especially to test different policy options, but they should not be treated as firm predictions of future outcomes.”

MacNae further called on the government to move to “one main OBR [Office for budget Responsibility] forecast per year, aligning it with the national budget, and resist the temptation to craft policy around forecasts that will likely be outdated by the time they are acted upon.”

In December 2025, writing for LabourList, MacNae pointed to “structural issues in our fiscal framework”, suggesting that a combination of OBR forecasting and the fiscal rules were fuelling “uncertainty”

MacNae is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for baby loss (chair), cycling and walking, terrorism and security (chair), outdoor recreation and access to nature (chair) and transport safety (chair).

MacNae delivered his maiden speech on 23 July 2024 during a debate on immigration and home affairs.

In it, he said: “I am fortunate to have enjoyed an active life, which has turned into a career. It has taken me to amazing places, and I know that I am healthier, wiser and happier as a result. In many ways, what these sports have taught me is what has brought me here.

“It is a sad fact that, in the UK today, nearly 40% of the population is not active enough for good health…

“Investing in physical activity is a no-brainer. It has been heartening to see the importance of prevention recognised so clearly in our manifesto, in this debate and, indeed, at Question Time this morning.”

Before entering parliament, MacNae served as a Labour councillor on Rossendale Borough Council from 2011 to 2024.

Political Views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: MacNae was one of 117 Labour MPs who nominated Lucy Powell 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.

Powell, the former leader of the House of Commons, was seen as a candidate representing the party’s “soft left”; she was supported by leading soft left figures including Ed Miliband and Andy Burnham. She secured 117 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), above the 80 required, and went on to win the election – defeating Bridget Phillipson with 54.3% of the vote.

Factional identity and party tradition

Get Britain Working Group: MacNae has been listed as a member of the Get Britain Working Group of Labour MPs – a caucus supportive of the Starmer leadership’s position on welfare. The group argues for a “new social contract built on employment and opportunity”, focusing on the rising number of people out of the workforce due to long-term sickness.

In an open letter, issued upon the group’s founding in March 2025, the group expressed its support for the government’s welfare measures set out in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. The bill was subject to a significant revolt of over 120 Labour MPs – which forced ministers into a series of concessions shortly before its first vote in the House of Commons.

Ahead of the bill’s fraught second reading debate, the MPs wrote: “Our Labour values are built on a simple but powerful idea: that every individual, regardless of background or circumstance, should have the support they need to make the most of their lives.

“Everyone who is capable of working deserves the security, dignity and agency that employment offers. Of course, there are some people who are not able to work and they must be treated with compassion and respect. But for those that can, we must restore the pathways to opportunity which are currently so sparse for millions of people.

“It is exactly what a Labour government exists to do.”

Red Wall Caucus: MacNae is a member of the Labour Red Wall Caucus, a parliamentary pressure group of Labour MPs representing constituencies in the Midlands and Northern England. Formed in November 2024 and led by Bassetlaw MP Jo White, the caucus serves as a voice for the so-called “red wall” seats that returned to Labour en masse at the 2024 general election.

In May 2025, following a series of disappointing local election results for the Labour Party, the caucus issued a statement calling for a shift in government strategy. The group argued that Keir Starmer’s “plan for change” messaging had “fallen on deaf ears”, inviting ministers to “visit our areas, listen and rebuild the social contract between government and the people.”

The statement added: “The demands raised by new MPs from post-industrial towns where infrastructure is poor with years of underinvestment must be taken off the too-difficult-to-do list.

“Breakaway from Treasury orthodoxy otherwise we will never get the investment we desperately need. The government needs to it improve messaging by telling our story and articulating our values in the language that resonates and is heard.”

In a subsequent letter to Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, on 27 August 2025, the MPs said they were elected “with commitments to destroy the criminal smuggling gang networks, ensure that our border is secure… and to quickly remove those who have no entitlement to be here.”

They went on to critique Farage’s deportations plan.

The MPs added: “We believe that migrants who pose a threat to public safety should be tagged, and that we should expand right-to-work checks to crack down on illegal working. We believe sex offenders should never get asylum in the UK. We believe that the criminal people smuggling gangs should be treated like terrorists.”

Living Standards Coalition: MacNae 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.”

Electoral reform

Fair elections APPG: MacNae is listed as a supporter of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections – a cross-party group of MPs and peers that campaigns for electoral reform. The group’s stated aims include replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with a form of proportional representation, eliminating “dark money” and “undemocratic influence” from politics, and countering disinformation.

Electoral reform amendment: In May 2026, MacNae was one of over 70 Labour MPs who signed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, calling on the government to establish “national commission on electoral reform”. Tabled by Alex Sobel as chair of the fair elections APPG, the amendment aimed to force a rethink of the first past the post voting system.

At the time, Sobel described FPTP as “one of the biggest examples of a broken status quo in UK politics.” He invited colleagues to join this “common sense call to take a fresh look at how parliament is elected in modern Britain.”

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, MacNae 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.”

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): MacNae 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

MacNae 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).

In a statement issued after the bill’s third reading, MacNae said: “I believe that the amendments made to the bill at the committee and report stage have strengthened it. The replacement of a high court judge with a specialist and expert panel of a social worker, a psychiatrist and a legal expert, will, in my view, lead to better checks for coercion, abuse and mental capacity.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): MacNae 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.

Before Politics

Born on 29 April 1965, MacNae’s family moved frequently due to his father’s career in the Royal Air Force and later as a commercial pilot. They lived in Scotland, Manchester, Northwich and Cheshire.

MacNae attended Sir John Deane’s College in Northwich.

He studied astrophysics at University College London and later obtained a master’s degree from the Alliance Manchester Business School.

MacNae held several roles in the mountaineering and outdoor industries sector. He is a former full-time mountaineer.

He worked for the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) from 1995, becoming deputy chief executive before leaving in 2002. He was chief executive of Mountain Services (the BMC’s commercial arm) from 2000 to 2002.

MacNae was the founding editor of Summit Magazine and co-authored Safety on Mountains (2000).

He served as chief executive of Venture Xtreme Consultancy Limited from 2016 to 2024.

Personal Life

MacNae lives in Rossendale with his wife and son.

In his 2024 maiden speech, MacNae spoke movingly about their daughter, Mallorie, who was born with Edward’s syndrome and died young.

He told the House: “On the moors close to home we scattered the ashes of our daughter, Mallorie. She had been born in Burnley hospital with Edward’s syndrome, a condition we were told is not compatible with life. Her time with us was short but her impact on our lives was great…

“Every day, an average of 13 families suffer the pain of baby loss – that is around 5,000 families a year. Some reports suggest that up to one in five of those family tragedies are avoidable…

“I hope to use my time in this House to support the ongoing drive for greater care and support for the families affected by baby loss and for continued improvement in its prevention.”

Trivia

MacNae is an accomplished mountaineer and a keen cycler.

MacNae’s maternal grandmother, Charlotte R McNee, stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in Edinburgh Pentlands in the 1950 general election. (His father’s surname is MacNae while his mother’s was McNee.)