Matt Bishop is the Labour Party MP for the Forest of Dean, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Bishop won 16,373 votes, representing 34.0% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Mark Harper, received 16,095 votes (33.5%). The Reform UK candidate, Stan Goodin, secured 8,194 votes (17.0%). Bishop was duly elected with a slim majority of 278.

The Forest of Dean constituency is located in Gloucestershire, South West England. The seat was held by the Labour Party from 1997 to 2005, and by the Conservative Party’s Mark Harper from 2005 until Labour regained it in 2024.

Harper was the serving transport secretary at the time of the 2024 general election.

Political Career

Bishop is a member of the House of Commons justice select committee (since March 2025) – the committee responsible for examining the policies and spending of the Ministry of Justice and associated public bodies. Its remit includes the courts, legal aid, prisons, probation and the rule of law. It also advises on sentencing guidelines.

In May 2026, Bishop 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.

In January 2026, Bishop 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.”

Also in January 2026, Bishop 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.

Bishop is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for political and media literacy (chair), dairy, education, osteoporosis and bone health, and blockchain technologies.

Bishop delivered his maiden speech on 14 October 2024 in a debate on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.

In it, he said: “Certain issues persist that require urgent attention. Many residents experience isolation because of inadequate public transport and a lack of community centres. There is a shortage of bus services, with limited routes and poorly maintained roads.

“With only 5% of the constituency in built-up areas, substantially improving public transport is vital for relationships to thrive and to combat the isolation that many residents feel.”

He added: “I served for many years as a police officer, including four years here in London for the Metropolitan police. On 7 July 2005, I was one of the first officers on the scene at the Tavistock Square bus bombing, where I saw at first hand the horror, destruction and chaos caused by such despicable acts of terror.

“I was also struck by the many admirable examples of courage and determination demonstrated by the emergency services, injured victims and members of the public.”

Before entering parliament, Bishop served as a Labour councillor on Forest of Dean District Council from 2023 to 2025. He also served on Cinderford Town Council during the same period. Within the District Council Labour group, he served as whip and later group leader.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Bishop was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson 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.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Factional identity and party tradition

Labour Rural Research Group: Bishop 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 using the labelling rural voters as Nimbys (not in my back yard) was “toxic” and maintained “many people rightly despise the term”.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Bishop 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): Bishop 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

Bishop 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): Bishop 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

Born Matthew Adrian Bishop in Newport, South Wales, he was raised by his grandparents and attended Lliswerry High School.

He joined the police service at age 18 and served in three different constabularies before his career ended due to injuries sustained in a car crash while on duty.

After leaving the police, he worked in children’s social care and as a tenancy enforcement caseworker in social housing. In 2020, he became an education welfare officer at Dene Magna school.

Personal Life

Bishop lives in Cinderford with his wife. They have two children.

He received free school meals as a child.

Trivia

Bishop defeated the incumbent transport secretary, Mark Harper, by a narrow majority of 278 votes at the 2024 general election.