Dave Robertson is the Labour MP for Lichfield, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Robertson won 17,232 votes, representing 35.1% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Michael Fabricant, received 16,422 votes (33.4%), while the Reform UK candidate, Richard Howard, secured 9,734 votes (19.8%). Robertson was duly elected with a majority of 810.

The Lichfield constituency is located in Staffordshire, West Midlands. It was represented by Michael Fabricant of the Conservative Party from 1997 to 2024.

Political Career

Robertson is a member of the House of Commons petitions committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for considering e-petitions submitted on parliament’s petitions website and public (paper) petitions presented to the commons.

Robertson is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for allied health professionals, quantum technologies (chair) and survivors of Fayed and Harrods (chair).

Robertson delivered his maiden speech on 12 September 2024.

In it, he said: “I look forward to speaking to my constituents about transport, access to healthcare, education, health and care plans, and many other issues that are on their lips. I look forward to bringing those stories back to this place, so that I can continue to advocate on my constituents’ behalf.”

Before entering parliament, Robertson was elected as a Labour councillor on Lichfield District Council in 2019. He stood down from the council in 2025.

Robertson also served as leader of Lichfield City Council from 2023 to 2024.

Robertson previously stood as Labour’s candidate for the Lichfield constituency at the 2019 general election.

Political views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Robertson 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.

Brexit and Europe

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Robertson 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 ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Robertson 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.

Welfare vote (July 2025): Robertson 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

Robertson 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): Robertson 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, Robertson 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

David Charles Robertson grew up in Lichfield. He attended Willows Primary School and Nether Stowe School

Robertson studied physics at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 2007. He obtained a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) from the University of Birmingham in 2009.

Before entering politics full-time, Robertson worked as a science and physics teacher at Great Barr School and Paget High School.

He was a trade union representative for NASUWT, the teachers’ union, from 2012 to 2016. He was an organiser for the union from 2017 to 2024.

Personal Life

Robertson lives in his Lichfield constituency.

Trivia

Robertson overturned a 23,638-vote Conservative majority to emerge victorious in 2024.