Josh Fenton-Glynn is the Labour MP for Calder Valley, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Fenton-Glynn received 22,046 votes (44.4%). The Conservative candidate, Vanessa Lee, received 13,055 votes (26.3%), while the Reform UK candidate, Donald Walmsley, polled 7,644 votes (15.4%). Fenton-Glynn was elected with a majority of 8,991.

The Calder Valley constituency is located in West Yorkshire and was created in 1983. Historically, Calder Valley has been considered a bellwether seat, having elected an MP from the party that won the most seats nationally in every general election since its creation.

Fenton-Glynn’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Calder Valley was Craig Whittaker of the Conservative Party. Whittaker represented the seat from 2010 to 2024.

Political Career

Fenton-Glynn is a member of the House of Commons health and social care select committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for scrutinising the work of the Department of Health and Social Care and its associated public bodies.

In May 2026, Fenton-Glynn 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.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Fenton-Glynn called for an “orderly transition” to a new leader and said it was “very difficult to imagine a world where [Starmer] leads us into the next election.”

He claimed that Starmer would “have a strong legacy” but argued that “his voice doesn’t cut through”.

In January 2026, Fenton-Glynn 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.”

Fenton-Glynn is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for assistive and accessible technology (chair), infant feeding and inequalities, running (chair) and single-parent families.

Fenton-Glynn delivered his maiden speech on 11 September 2024 during a debate on building safety and resilience.

In it, he said: “I have had some time to consider this speech, having been elected at the fourth time of asking. I have stood that many times because I believe that the voiceless in our society need a voice.”

He added: “Although no one in my family has chosen politics as their path, it would be untrue to say that they are not political. Indeed, going back to my great-great-grandfather, my family have been Labour supporters…

“I have always believed in getting benefits right, in supporting people into work rather than punishing them for not being able to find work, and in supporting with dignity those who simply cannot work – that is one thing we can do to make our economy stronger and people happier in work and life.”

Before entering parliament, Fenton-Glynn was elected as a Labour councillor on Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in 2016. He stood down from this role in 2025.

Fenton-Glynn stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate for Calder Valley in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections.

Political Views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Fenton-Glynn 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.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Fenton-Glynn 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, Fenton-Glynn said he had not taken the decision to sign the amendment “lightly”.

He added: ” I hope dearly that the government will see the strength of feeling on our benches and across the country, and come back with proposals to support some of our most vulnerable constituents that we can support…

“I hope the government reconsider their approach so that we are not forcing loyal MPs into an impossible position next Tuesday.”

Welfare vote (July 2025): Fenton-Glynn 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

On the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, in November 2024, Fenton-Glynn did not record a vote. He went on to vote against at third reading (June 2025).

In a statement setting out his position in May 2025, Fenton-Glynn said: “While I don’t oppose the principle of assisted dying, I am concerned about how a law on this would safeguard the most vulnerable in society.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Fenton-Glynn 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, Fenton-Glynn 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

Fenton-Glynn was born and raised in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, and attended Calder High School. He studied at the University of Liverpool.

In his 2024 maiden speech, Fenton-Glynn referred to his “severe dyslexia”.

Fenton-Glynn previously worked for Oxfam, the Child Poverty Action Group, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), and the General Medical Council. He held campaign and communications roles.

Personal Life

Fenton-Glynn lives in his Calder Valley constituency.

In his 2024 maiden speech, Fenton-Glynn described his children as Calder Valley’s “two smallest leaflet deliverers and door-knockers”.

Trivia

Fenton-Glynn is a keen fell runner and has completed several half and full marathons.

During his time at Calder High School, Fenton-Glynn was taught science by Allison Gardner, who was also elected as a Labour MP in 2024.

He told the Yorkshire Post in 2024: “Mrs Gardner was one of my most fun teachers.

“I don’t think either of us imagined that years later we’d both be part of a new intake of fantastic Labour MPs.”