James Naish is the Labour MP for Rushcliffe, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Naish won 25,291 votes, representing 43.8% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Ruth Edwards, received 17,865 votes (30.9%), while the Reform UK candidate, James Grice, secured 6,353 votes (11.0%). Naish was duly elected with a majority of 7,426.

The Rushcliffe constituency is located in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands. The seat was represented by the Conservative Party from 1970 to 2024 – most notably by former chancellor Kenneth Clarke from 1970 to 2019.

Political Career

Naish is a member of the House of Commons international development select committee (since December 2024) – the committee responsible for scrutinising the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in respect of aid policy.

In March 2025, Naish participated in a Westminster Hall debate on a public petition calling for the United Kingdom to rejoin the European Union as a full member. The debate was triggered by an e-petition signed by over 128,000 people.

In the debate, Naish maintained “that the UK’s trade has suffered, its productivity has fallen and investment has stalled since it left the EU.”

He added: “However, although rejoining the EU is a goal for many in my constituency, and a position that I would like us to pursue, we must be pragmatic about the challenges that that process will entail… Practical, tangible steps can be taken to help to build a stronger and closer relationship with the EU.”

Naish is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for the East Midlands (chair), fusion energy, hydrogen and Moldova.

Naish delivered his maiden speech on 9 October 2024 during a debate on the Renters’ Rights Bill.

In it, he said: “Having worked in delivery in the energy sector for most of the past decade, I strongly believe that the advanced, clean, green energy agenda, through which we can build the technologies of the future, offers huge economic potential.

“I hope to speak regularly in this House on those topics.”

He added: “While the House of Commons Library is not 100% sure, I am likely to be the first triplet to stand in this place.

“Having spent my whole life sharing birthdays, cards, parties, exam results days and much more, it is nice to achieve something unique that is not shared with anyone else in my family, including a well-known podcaster who seeks to stay relevant by disagreeing agreeably.”

Before entering parliament, Naish was elected as a Labour councillor on Bassetlaw District Council in May 2019. He served as leader of the council from 2022 to 2024 and stood down as a councillor in 2025.

Political Views

Factional identity and party tradition

Labour Rural Research Group: Naish has been listed as a member of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG) – a caucus made up of MPs representing Labour’s so-called “rural wall”. Launched in August 2025, the group’s primary aim is to ensure that policy is developed with a clear understanding of the distinct challenges and priorities of rural and semi-rural communities.

The LRRG, chaired by the Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, conducts research and consultations to challenge what it sees as a “rural blind spot” in Whitehall.

Its first report, “Understanding Rural Britain”, surveyed voters on issues from healthcare and the economy to housing and the environment, seeking to build an evidence-based policy platform. The survey found nearly three quarters (74.4%) of respondents believe rural communities had been overlooked over the past 15 years. On the back of the report, Riddell-Carpenter stated that labelling rural voters as Nimbys (not in my back yard) was “toxic” and maintained “many people rightly despise the term”.

Naish is vice-chair of the LRRG.

Living Standards Coalition: Naish 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: Naish 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”.

Compass: Naish was endorsed by local groups of the cross-party organisation Compass during the 2024 general election. Compass is a thinktank and campaign group. As part of its “Win as One” campaign in the 2024 election, local Compass groups backed a slate of progressive candidates who had pledged their support for electoral reform. The central aim of the initiative was to elect a “caucus” of MPs who would champion the cause of replacing the first past the post electoral system.

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Naish voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Electoral reform

Fair elections APPG: Naish 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 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, Naish 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.”

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

Naish 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 shortly before the bill’s third reading, Naish said: “I am an MP – a lawmaker. And as a lawmaker with a free vote, I have to ask myself three simple questions…

“Do I believe that this Bill is the best version that it can be? Honestly, no, not yet.

“Do I believe there are amendments on the table, unlikely to be discussed, that would have made it better? Yes, I do.

“Am I 100% clear on what the revised bill is proposing and what the consequential impacts might be? Unfortunately not.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Naish 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.

Foreign policy and security

IPAC: Naish is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) – an international, cross-party network of legislators from democratic countries focused on relations with the People’s Republic of China. The alliance, established on 4 June 2020, the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, was formed to unite “lawmakers worldwide, promoting democracy and addressing threats to the rules-based and human rights systems posed by the rise of China.”

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Naish 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

James William Naish was born on 20 July 1988, in Sheffield. He grew up on his family’s farm in South Wheatley, Nottinghamshire.

Naish attended Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough and studied modern history at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, graduating in 2009.

Naish’s career before his election as a frontline politician centred on research and advisory roles.

Naish worked as an analyst and consultant for Accenture from 2011 to 2015. He later served as an adviser to the government of Albania (2013-2014). He subsequently worked in various roles in the energy sector, including as a stakeholder engagement programme manager for Northern Powergrid and a programme manager for SSE.  

Personal Life

Naish is the nephew of Alastair Campbell, who served as a director of communications and press secretary in Tony Blair’s Downing Street operation.

Campbell campaigned for Naish during the 2024 general election.

Trivia

Naish is the first Labour MP elected to represent the Rushcliffe constituency since 1970.