Mary Kelly Foy is the Labour MP for the City of Durham, having first been elected to parliament at the 2019 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Foy won 19,131 votes, representing 47.1% of the vote. The Reform UK candidate, Mark Belch, received 7,374 votes (18.2%), while the Liberal Democrat candidate, Mark Wilkes, secured 5,920 votes (14.6%). Foy was duly elected with a majority of 11,757 votes.

The City of Durham constituency covers the city centre, Durham University (with a large minority of students), and surrounding areas including former mining communities. It is considered a safe Labour seat, having been held by the party continuously since 1935. Foy’s immediate predecessor as the MP for the City of Durham was Roberta Blackman-Woods, a former Labour frontbencher.

Political Career

Foy currently serves as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Matthew Pennycook, minister of state (Housing, Communities and Local Government). 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. Foy was appointed to this role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

In November 2023, Foy voted for a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to the King’s speech which called on the government to support a ceasefire in Gaza. The Labour leadership had tabled its own motion, making a more moderate appeal for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict and ordered its representatives to support that stance rather than endorse the SNP’s position.

Foy’s support for the SNP motion resulted in her resignation as a parliamentary private secretary, alongside nine frontbench colleagues. She had been serving as an aide to Angela Rayner, then the shadow levelling up secretary and shadow deputy prime minister.

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In October 2020, Foy resigned as a PPS to Andy McDonald, the shadow secretary of state for employment rights and protections, to vote against the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill at its commons third reading, defying the Labour whip.

The proposed legislation in question, often referred to as the “spycops bill”, was introduced by the Conservative government to authorise undercover agents and informants to commit crimes while on operations. The Labour Party had whipped its representatives to abstain on the bill on the basis that the legislation is “far from perfect” yet “necessary” due to “the need to provide a clear lawful framework for the use of human intelligence sources”. Foy was among 34 Labour MPs to vote against the legislation.

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Foy successfully passed the Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021, a private members’ bill introduced in February 2020. The legislation’s primary purpose was to close a specific safeguarding loophole that affected the welfare of 16 and 17-year-old students. Prior to this act, further education colleges and school sixth forms had a statutory duty to protect the welfare of their students, but this legal requirement did not extend to a range of other institutions providing post-16 training. The bill received royal assent in April 2021.

Speaking during the bill’s second reading debate, Foy maintained that “nothing is more important than safeguarding our children and promoting their welfare.”

She added: “My bill would correct the existing inconsistencies in safeguarding arrangements by extending the legal duty to cover all publicly funded providers of post-16 education.

“This will directly impose legal safeguarding on 16-to-19 academies, and make the secretary of state for education directly accountable for ensuring that all funding agreements with specialist post-16 institutions and independent providers include proper safeguarding duties.”

In August 2022, Foy claimed that a reporter broke into her office in an attempt to find material about “Beergate”, the furore over whether Keir Starmer committed lockdown breaches during a meeting at her offices. The story first broke in May 2021 after a video taken by a local student of Starmer with a beer circulated.

Foy has sat as a member of the House of Commons procedure committee (2024-2026) and Northern Ireland affairs committee (2020-2024).

Foy is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for charities and volunteering, Gypsies, Travellers and Roma and smoking and health.

She delivered her maiden speech on 4 March 2020 during a debate on health inequalities. In it, she said: “Last week, the Marmot report on health inequalities showed the impact of austerity – something that I have seen first-hand. In my constituency, a child born on the Sherburn Road estate can expect to live 15 years fewer than a child born in the most affluent parts of the city, just a couple of miles away.”

She added: “Labour has a strategy – oven-ready, you might say – to tackle these injustices and build a fairer, more equal society. It was laid out in our manifesto. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver it yet, but that will not stop us holding this government to account or campaigning for a better society.

“My pledge to those who feel the harsh impact of Tory austerity – those who will feel health inequalities hardest – is that I will fight for them, because I have not come to this place just to lay out the problems: I and my party will be part of the solution.”

Before entering parliament, Foy served as a Labour councillor on Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council from 2006 to 2019, representing the Lamesley ward. She was the cabinet member for health and wellbeing from 2009 to 2019.

Before moving to the City of Durham, Foy was chair of her Constituency Labour Party (CLP) (Blaydon). She was the regional representative of Labour’s National Policy Forum

Political views

In her 2019 maiden speech, Foy identified as a “socialist”. A 2019 PoliticsHome profile described her as a “Corbyn loyalist”.

A staunch trade unionist, she is a member of both UNISON and Unite the Union.

When Foy was first shortlisted to be the Labour candidate for the City of Durham in 2019, she commented: “My trade unionism runs through everything I do, and if I’m fortunate to be selected as the candidate for City of Durham it will inform all of my campaigning and representation.”

Leadership elections and loyalty

Starmer stand down: In May 2026, Foy publicly called for Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to step down/set out a timetable for his departure. The move followed the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru.

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Foy was one of 24 Labour MPs who nominated Bell Ribeiro-Addy 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.

Ribeiro-Addy, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG), was seen as the candidate on the left of the party. She secured only 24 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), far short of the 80 required under rules introduced in 2021.

Labour leadership 2020: Foy was one of 33 Labour MPs who nominated Rebecca Long-Bailey for the party’s leadership in early 2020. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn following the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election, which resulted in Labour’s fewest seats in the House of Commons since 1935.

Long-Bailey, then the shadow business secretary, was widely regarded as the continuity candidate for the party’s left/Corbynite wing. Long-Bailey finished second with 27.6% of the vote, losing to Keir Starmer, who won a decisive victory in the first round with 56.2%.

Factional identity and party tradition

Socialism26: In May 2026, Foy was a signatory of Socialism26, a political initiative and pressure group launched by a coalition of Labour MPs and general secretaries from several major affiliated trade unions, including Unison, Aslef, the CWU, the TSSA and the FBU. The group described itself as advocating a “programme for change” intended to facilitate a “progressive political reset” within the Labour Party. It called for a return to traditional socialist values and greater internal party democracy.

The initiative was built upon a set of policy demands, including urging the government to “recognise the genocide in Gaza”, deliver full compensation for the “Waspi” women affected by state pension age changes, protect civil liberties and embrace intervention to lower energy bills.

Socialism26 described this programme as “the bare minimum to ensure that the public can see and feel the difference a socialist government makes to their lives.”

Socialist Campaign Group: Foy has been listed as a member of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) – the standard-bearer of the left wing within the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Founded in 1982 by followers of Tony Benn, the group has traditionally advocated policies such as widespread public ownership, wealth redistribution and strengthened trade union rights.

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Corbyn suspension: In November 2020, Foy was among the 32 SCG MPs to sign a statement declaring that they opposed the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn and calling for the disciplinary action to be “swiftly reversed”.

The statement read: “This decision and the division it causes severely undermines efforts to unite to defeat antisemitism and fully implement the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] recommendations and to challenge and defeat this disastrous Conservative government.”

Corbyn’s suspension came after he issued a response to the EHRC report, arguing “the scale of the [antisemitism] problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents”.

Trade Union Group: Foy is a member of the Trade Union Group of Labour MPs. This long-standing group, founded in 1926, serves as a link between the Labour party and the trade union movement, aiming to ensure that the voices of working people and their unions are represented in parliament.

Labour ‘reset’: In March 2026, Foy was among dozens of Labour parliamentarians to co-sign a statement calling for a “reset” in the party’s internal culture and political direction. The statement, supported by an alliance of MPs from both the Mainstream (“soft-left”) and Momentum (left) wings of the party, condemned what it saw as the “insular, centralising approach” of the leadership. It called on Labour to rebuild “basic democracy, pluralism and fair process within our party.”

The intervention followed a series of by-election results in Gorton and Denton, Runcorn and Helsby and Caerphilly.

The statement said: “We stand against the insular, centralising approach of the current leadership that refuses to draw on the energy, talent and ideas of our whole movement, the continued underfunding of public services and local government, and the pandering to the talking points of the far right.”

It added: “We, the undersigned members from every section of the Labour Party – parliamentarians, councillors, internal election candidates, members and trade unionists, pledge to reset the Labour Party.”

Brexit and Europe

Remain pledge: During the 2019 general election campaign, Foy was one of 193 Labour candidates to sign the anti-Brexit “Remain pledge”, drawn up by the campaign group Remain Labour.

It stated: “Labour is committed to a confirmatory referendum, to give you the final say on Brexit. If elected as your Labour MP, I pledge to campaign to Remain in the EU.”

Brexit trade deal: In December 2020, Foy was among the 37 Labour MPs to rebel against the leadership’s position on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill – which enabled the government to implement and ratify its post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. Keir Starmer, the newly elected Labour leader, argued that while the trade deal negotiated by Boris Johnson’s government was “thin” and flawed, the only alternative at that late stage was a “no-deal” exit. To enforce the leadership’s position, a three-line whip was imposed. Foy abstained over the bill. One Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, voted against the bill.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Foy 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 May 2025, Foy had signed a letter warning the government that the cuts were “impossible to support” and calling for a change in direction.

The letter, signed by 42 Labour MPs, read: “The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over 3 million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected.

“Whilst the government may have correctly diagnosed the problem of a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities for those who are able to work, they have come up with the wrong medicine. Cuts don’t create jobs, they just cause more hardship.”

Welfare vote (July 2025): Foy went on to vote against the 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.

Speaking during the commons debate, Foy described the proposals as “so unfair” and suggested they would create a “two-tier system of social security”.

She added: “If we vote for this bill, we will be knowingly leaving vulnerable people without the support they need to live dignified, independent lives, free from poverty, when we should be supporting and championing the rights of disabled people, their carers and their families…

“I joined the Labour party 30 years ago to be on the side of the poor and the weak. This bill penalises those with the weakest shoulders. That is not what I was elected for, and it is not what this Labour government were elected for. I plead with colleagues again: pause this process, start again and do it the right way – do it the Labour way.”

Winter fuel payment EDM: In September 2024, Foy signed an early day motion (EDM) expressing concern over the government’s proposed changes to the winter fuel payment. The motion called on the government to “postpone the ending of winter fuel payments and establish a comprehensive strategy to tackle fuel poverty, health inequality and low incomes among older people.”

Assisted dying

Foy 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).

Speaking against the bill at second reading, Foy said: “My daughter Maria lived her life with severe disabilities and health conditions. Since her birth, we were told many times that she might have only six months to live. She lived for 27 years.

“Crucially, Maria was non-verbal. I am filled with dread and fear about what might happen to people like Maria who are non-verbal and do not have that capacity, if they are not loved and cared for and do not have somebody speaking out for them.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Foy voted against 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.

Lying amendment: In January 2026, Foy was listed as a supporter of an amendment to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, often referred to as the “Hillsborough Law”, that would extend the proposed criminal offence of misleading the public to include MPs and peers. Luke Myer, the Labour MP behind the proposal, argued that his amendment would mean “no-one in parliament would be above the law”, adding: “If politicians deliberately lie to the public, there should be consequences.”

Myer stated: “This amendment is a proportionate, carefully safeguarded response to a real democratic risk. It is not about stifling debate or political disagreement, it is about ensuring that those who seek or hold public office cannot deliberately and knowingly mislead the public without consequence.

“The polling shows that voters across the political spectrum expect parliament to act.”

Myer’s amendment won the support of 30 cross-party MPs.

Palestine

LFPME: Foy has been listed as a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME). The organisation’s stated aim is to promote peace and justice in the region through the application of international law and respect for human rights.

Civil liberties

Covid passes campaign (2021): Foy was one of over 70 MPs and peers who launched a cross-party campaign against the “divisive and discriminatory use” of Covid passes in April 2021. The campaign was triggered by government reviews into “vaccine passports”, which signatories argued would create a two-tier society and infringe upon fundamental civil liberties.

Before Politics

Born Mary Kelly Foy in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear on 27 February 1968. She is the second of five children and grew up on a council estate. Foy’s grandparents were Irish immigrants.

She has a degree in social sciences which she obtained as a mature student.

Before entering parliament, she worked as a community development worker (2006-2013) and as a parliamentary assistant to Stephen Hepburn, the former Labour MP for Jarrow.

Personal Life

In May 2024, Foy revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Foy encouraged women to “make sure they attend their screening” as a potential life-saving measure.

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In November 2024, in an interview with The House magazine, Foy spoke of her recovery.

She said: “I have this survivors’ guilt about getting through it without having to have the chemotherapy. I’m alive. I should be feeling great because it’s gone. When I’m feeling miserable, I feel guilty about it, because there are people in a lot worse positions than I am.

“Even the inequalities around the country, in the care. I know I had a really good experience in hospital of not having to wait too long. There’ll be other places where they’re still waiting for treatment.”

Foy is the daughter of a shipyard worker who lost his job in the 1980s. “My dad… was thrown on the scrap heap after Swan Hunter’s shipyards closed”, Foy said in her maiden speech.

Foy’s daughter, Maria, was born 10 weeks premature and needing a ventilator before she could breathe on her own.

However, the necessary equipment was not available at the hospital – which Foy has put down to the deliberate “running down the NHS”.

Foy added: “Eventually, a ventilator was located 30 miles away and Maria was born three hours later by emergency C-section. She suffered brain damage and lived her whole life with severe cerebral palsy.”

Maria had severe cerebral palsy and passed away aged 27. Foy was her carer for all her 27 years of life.

Trivia

Foy twice resigned as a PPS in the 2019-2024 parliament.