Bayo Alaba is the Labour Party MP for Southend East and Rochford, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 election for the Southend East and Rochford constituency, Alaba won 15,395 votes, representing 38.8% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Gavin Haran, received 11,368 votes (28.7%), while the Reform UK candidate, Leslie Lilley, secured 7,214 votes (18.2%). Alaba was duly elected with a majority of 4,027.

The Southend East and Rochford constituency was created in 1997 and was held by the Conservative Party from its creation until the 2024 general election. Alaba’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Southend East and Rochford was Sir James Duddridge (Conservative), a prominent ally of Boris Johnson during his tenure as prime minister, who represented the seat from 2005 to 2024.

Political Career

Alaba is a member of the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee (since October 2024). The committee scrutinises the work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

In August 2026, Alaba was suspended from Labour and had the party whip removed after Times reporting raised questions over whether he had tried to avoid repaying a government Covid loan.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Bayo Alaba MP has referred himself to the Labour Party so that these matters can be investigated in line with the party’s rules.”

They added: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards from our elected representatives and we have robust processes in place to ensure those high standards are upheld.

“We cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”

In a statement, Alaba said there had been “no attempt to avoid my financial obligations, and I am wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that the liability is met in full.”

Alaba was appointed as a government “business champion” for entertainment/events in the East of England – 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.

On 12 February 2025, Alaba paid tribute to the late Sir David Amess, who served as the MP for the neighbouring constituency of Southend West from 1997 until his murder in October 2021.

Alaba referred to Sir David as a “hugely respected parliamentarian of massive popularity across all parties and in his wider community.”

He added: “[Sir David] worked every day with true compassion to improve the lives of residents in Southend West and Leigh, Southend East and Rochford and more widely. My constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West and Leigh (David Burton-Sampson), and I bring that legacy with us as we continue the hard work of representing our communities.

“We must do everything in our power to prevent anything so tragic from ever happening again. My thoughts and prayers will always be with his friends and family.”

In November 2024, the news website The Londoner reported on the eviction of a tenant from a property owned by Alaba. According to the report, the tenant, a mother of two, had been housed in the flat by Redbridge Council as temporary accommodation. She was evicted in October 2024.

Alaba stated that notice was served because he “was considering renovating and selling” the property and claimed the tenant had “done extensive damage to the flat”. He said that he ensured there was a “very long notice period”, that he was “as flexible and fair as possible” with the move and that “legal process was followed at every stage”.

The eviction – which the report suggested would fall under the category of a “no-fault” (Section 21) eviction which the Labour Party has vowed to ban – drew criticism from campaign groups.

The report noted that Alaba had previously written a “call to action” for the Progressive Britain group about “The Imperative of Stable Housing for Stronger Communities”.

https://x.com/BayoAlaba/status/1714278812563996931

In August 2024, a Financial Times report referred to Alaba as among the “top five landlords in the commons”.

Alaba is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for hemp carbon capture and rural development.

Alaba delivered his maiden speech on 4 September 2024 during a debate on the budget responsibility bill.

In it, he said: “As a former soldier, I was stationed in the Southend area for a short while. One of my great pleasures when canvassing is running into old Army friends still living in the seat – if they are prepared to open the door to me.”

“For me, as someone who left school with no qualifications, got into a lot of trouble as a young boy and needed a second chance, night school and the military provided a lifeline. I quite simply would not be here today in the mother of all parliaments without the opportunities that gave me and the ethos of service that it instilled in me.”

He added: “I believe that change is afoot. There is a Southend renaissance at work. The people of Southend are ready to seize the initiative and want more. Southenders are strong, independent and unbelievably hard-working.”

During the 2024 general election campaign, the Labour leadership criticised the “smearing” of Alaba after Conservative councillor Daniel Nelson tweeted that it was “great to be with [Conservative candidate Gavin Haran] in the constituency talking to residents. Is the Labour candidate still in France?”.

Alaba, a veteran of the parachute regiment, has been participating in D-day commemorations and raising money for charity in Normandy.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, responded: “Shame on you.”

https://x.com/AngelaRayner/status/1799706633775317076

https://x.com/wesstreeting/status/1799558792415257069

Alaba served as a Labour councillor for the Wanstead Park ward on Redbridge London Borough Council from May 2022 until September 2024.

He was one of the first three black councillors elected for the Labour group in Redbridge.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Oppose leadership election: In May 2026, Alaba was among the over 100 Labour MPs who signed a joint statement insisting it was “no time for a leadership contest.” The letter was an intervention in the political crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s premiership, after Labour suffered heavy losses in the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. It was organised as a counterweight to a mounting rebellion that had seen high-profile figures, including some ministers, call for Starmer’s resignation.

The statement read: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Alaba 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

Fabian: Alaba is a member of the executive committee of the Fabian Society. The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation, founded in 1884, the purpose of which is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies. It is one of the oldest left-leaning think tanks and is affiliated with the Labour Party. Today, the society functions as a forum for political debate and policy development, publishing research, hosting events and influencing political discourse.

Get Britain Working Group: Alaba 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.”

Electoral reform

Fair elections APPG: Alaba is listed as a member 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.

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Alaba 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): Alaba 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

Alaba voted against 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 setting out his position, issued after the bill’s second reading debate, Alaba said: “For those with a terminal illness, suffering unimaginable pain, the right to die is an extremely emotive issue and I understand the passion attached to this subject.

‘However I do not feel that palliative care provision is currently good enough to allow individuals to make such a difficult decision, nor do I think that the NHS would be able to cope with the additional pressures delivering assisted dying would entail. I am also concerned about the undue pressure that assisted dying would place on loved ones and worry that in its current form, it could be open to abuse.’

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Alaba 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.

Social media ban: In January 2026, Alaba 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.”

Before Politics

Adebayo Alaba grew up in Forest Gate, East London, and is of Nigerian descent. He graduated from Coventry University in 1995 with a degree in manufacturing and business. He later studied social politics at the London School of Economics in 2011.

He served as a reservist soldier in the parachute regiment for 11 years.

Alaba ran his own business in East London’s creative and night-time economy sector for 22 years prior to entering parliament. He has also been involved in community work as a school governor in Waltham Forest, a youth mentor, and a trustee for the charity Phoenix Resource Centre.

He served as a community ambassador during the London 2012 Olympics.

Personal Life

Bayo Alaba is married and has three children.

In his 2025 maiden speech, Alaba references his late parents, “Adebayo Alaba and Atinuke Awesu did… who sacrificed everything as part of the Windrush generation to leave their families and communities behind in Nigeria in order to raise a family here, in one of the most welcoming countries in the world.”

Trivia

Alaba was one of the first three black Labour councillors elected to Redbridge London Borough Council in 2022.

He is the first Labour MP to represent the seat of Southend East and Rochford.