Connor Naismith is the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Naismith won 20,837 votes, representing 44.1% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Ben Fletcher, received 11,110 votes (23.5%), while the Reform UK candidate, Matt Wood, secured 9,602 votes (20.3%). Naismith was duly elected with a majority of 9,727.  

The Crewe and Nantwich constituency is located in Cheshire, in the North West of England. Historically a marginal seat, it has been represented by both Labour and the Conservatives since its creation in 1983.

Naismith’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Crewe and Nantwich was Kieran Mullan of the Conservative Party. Mullan stood successfully in the Bexhill and Battle seat at the 2024 election.

In his 2024 maiden speech, Naismith stated: “I would also like to pay tribute to my immediate predecessor, Kieran Mullan, who has gone to great lengths to demonstrate his commitment to our democracy – approximately 250 miles, in fact, from Crewe to Bexhill!”

Political Career

Naismith currently serves as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Department for Transport. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs. The role is widely regarded as the first step on the ministerial ladder. Although they cannot speak for the government in debates, a PPS is bound by collective responsibility and becomes part of the so-called “payroll vote”, expected to support the official line in all divisions. Naismith was appointed to this role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

In May 2026, Naismith was among the group of Labour MPs who publicly called for the prime minister, Keir Starmer, to resign or set out a clear timetable for his departure. The move followed the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru.

In a statement, Naismith said: “In the wake of these catastrophic local elections results, with regret, it is clear to me that we need new leadership. Leadership which is capable of bringing together a broad coalition of voters to stop the Thatcherite politics of Reform UK.”

He added: “The world is in a turbulent place so any transition of power should be orderly, and should facilitate voices from across our movement to chart the course for what we do next. That must include giving Andy Burnham the opportunity to re-enter parliament if an opportunity arises.”

In January 2026, Naismith 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.”

Naismith delivered his maiden speech on 29 July 2024 during a debate on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

In it, he said: “I came to this place from a career with the Independent Office for Police Conduct, whose role is to independently uphold standards and ensure that the public can have confidence in the police.

“No doubt there is much work to do in that space, but I believe strongly that I and my colleagues from across all parties in this House have a duty to uphold standards and restore public confidence in our politics, and aspiration and opportunity to our communities.”

He added: “When the Labour party is given the chance to serve the British people, it has a fine record of smashing the barriers to aspiration. It did it for a working-class kid like me, and it will do so again – I am confident of that.

“For that reason, I wholeheartedly welcome the prime minister’s belief that politics is about service, and his commitment to lead a government who focus relentlessly on delivering for people by putting country first, party second.”

Before entering parliament, Naismith was elected as a Labour councillor on Cheshire East Council in May 2021. He stood down as a councillor upon his election to parliament.

Political Views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Naismith 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

Blue Labour: Naismith has been associated with the Blue Labour group in parliament. Founded by Labour peer Lord Glasman in 2009, the Blue Labour creed champions what it terms the politics of “faith, family and flag”, embracing a form of social conservatism with a progressive or left-wing economic policy. Blue Labour articulates a critique of both New Labour’s social liberalism and free-market globalisation.

In June 2025, Naismith co-authored a LabourList article expressing his support for the tradition.

He wrote: “Blue Labour’s politics is about the work we do, the people we love, and the places to which we belong. It is an explicit challenge to the neoliberal, capitalist consensus, and it belongs to the radical labour tradition.

“A Blue Labour economy would mean a balanced relationship between state, market and society, recognising that large, private corporations now possess far too much power over our country.”

In a March 2026 article for Politics.co.uk, Naismith argued that by “dismissing the socially conservative streak of the movement as an aberration, we risk alienating the very heartlands we should aspire to represent.”

He added: “Blue Labour isn’t a Tory-lite infiltration. It is a reminder that work is a vocation, not just a contract, that relationships matter more than abstract rights and that patriotism is a valid expression of solidarity, not always a precursor to prejudice.”

Red Wall Caucus: Naismith 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: Naismith 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

Electoral reform amendment: In May 2026, Naismith was one of over 70 Labour MPs who signed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, calling on the government to establish a “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.”

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Naismith was one of the over 120 Labour MPs to sign the reasoned amendment to the government’s flagship welfare bill which aimed to reject the proposed legislation.

The amendment, in the name of senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, objected to the fact that the bill had not been subject to a “formal consultation with disabled people” and that “250,000 people will be pushed into poverty” as a result of it, according to a government impact assessment.

The motion also called on the government to wait for the publication of the review into the Personal Independence Payment (Pip), helmed by minister Sir Stephen Timms, and the independent review, conducted by Sir Charlie Mayfield, into how the employment of disabled people could be boosted.

In a statement at the time, Naismith argued that the “measures will plunge large numbers of people in my constituency further into poverty.”

He added: “I did not come into politics to inflict this on the most vulnerable people in our society, and I cannot vote for changes which will have this impact.”

Welfare vote (July 2025): Naismith 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

Naismith 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): Naismith 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

Connor James Naismith grew up in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Naismith’s first job was at Woolworths.

He studied sociology at the University of Manchester, graduating in 2014. He obtained a master’s degree in sociological research from the same institution in 2015.

Naismith spent over eight years working for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), latterly as an oversight officer (2022-2024).

Personal Life

Naismith lives in his Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

He is married. His wife is a local primary school teacher.

Trivia

Naismith was 32-years-old upon his election to parliament in 2024.

He joined the Labour Party in 2015.