Simon Lightwood is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Wakefield and Rothwell, first elected to parliament for the predecessor constituency of Wakefield in a by-election on 23 June 2022.

In the 2024 general election, Lightwood received 17,773 votes, representing 43.7% of the vote share. The Reform candidate received 8,427 votes (20.7%), while the Conservative candidate received 7,322 (18.0%). Lightwood was duly elected with a majority of 9,346 votes.

The Wakefield and Rothwell constituency is located in West Yorkshire. It includes the city of Wakefield and the town of Rothwell, previously part of the Elmet and Rothwell constituency.

Wakefield and Rothwell is a new constituency created for the 2024 general election. Its main predecessor seat, Wakefield, was held by Labour continuously from 1932 until 2019, when it was gained by the Conservative Imran Ahmad Khan.

Political Career

Lightwood currently serves as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (minister for equalities) and parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Transport. He was appointed to the former role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

Lightwood was appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state for local transport in the Department for Transport in July 2024 following the general election of that year. Previously, he served as shadow minister for local transport from September 2022 until the 2024 general election.

The June 2022 Wakefield by-election was triggered by the resignation of Imran Ahmad Khan after a criminal conviction for child sexual assault. Lightwood, won 13,166 votes (47.9%), overturning a Conservative majority of 3,358. The contest represented the first time Labour had captured a Conservative seat at a by-election in 10 years.

It came on the same day as the Tiverton and Honiton by-election. In Tiverton and Honiton, the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Foord, overturned a Conservative majority of 24,239; at the time, this was the largest numerical majority ever to be reversed in a British by-election. The result represented a swing of almost 29% away from the Conservatives – the sixth-largest swing against the governing party since 1945.

It marked the first occasion since the 1991 Kincardine and Deeside and Langbaurgh by-elections that a sitting British government had lost two seats in by-elections held on the same day. The defeats were taken to confirm the deep unpopularity of Boris Johnson’s government after the “Partygate” scandal.

Oliver Dowden resigned as Conservative chairman in response to the defeats. The outgoing cabinet minister said the party’s supporters were “distressed and disappointed” and that “somebody must take responsibility”.

Johnson vowed to “keep going” as prime minister in the wake of the defeats.

Speaking in Kigali, Rwanda, where he was attending a Commonwealth Heads of Government summit, the prime minister said: “It’s absolutely true we’ve had some tough by-election results.

“They’ve been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things – but we’ve got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment.”

Lightwood delivered his maiden speech on 11 July 2022, during the second reading debate of the Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Levy Bill.

In it, he said: “Wakefield has a proud mining heritage, and I pay tribute to those who powered our nation and kept our lights on. At the National Coal Mining Museum, situated in Wakefield, people come from all over the country to learn about that important industry and its important place in our history.

“While we cherish our proud heritage, we also have our eyes set towards the future, as shown by the recent opening of CAPA College, which is inspiring, training and educating the next generation of performers, creatives, designers and technicians.”

He added: “I have spent the past few months telling people that this was their chance to tell the prime minister he should go. I am delighted that the voters of Wakefield took my advice, but am slightly surprised that 53 Conservative ministers did, too.”

The maiden speech came during the mass ministerial exodus that ultimately secured Johnson’s resignation as prime minister.

Lightwood added: “We need a change in government and a fresh start for Britain. Everywhere we look, we see things that are broken, but under this government, nothing gets fixed. They are incapable of governing in the national interest, and should move aside and call a general election.

“Those, perhaps, are not the words expected of a member still exhausted by the rigours of a by-election, but it is an important message to deliver when the government show such a clear detachment from reality.”

Lightwood is a patron of LGBT+ Labour – a socialist society formally affiliated with the Labour Party.

Political Views

Lightwood 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).

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Lightwood 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.

Welfare vote (July 2025): Lightwood 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.

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Lightwood 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 on 15 December 1980 in South Shields, Lightwood has described experiencing financial hardship, with his family living with his grandmother after their home was repossessed when he was 13.

He studied theatre acting at Bretton Hall college, near Wakefield. He joined the Labour party in his early twenties.

Prior to becoming an MP, Lightwood worked as head of communications for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS foundation trust.

He worked as a caseworker for the former Labour MP for Wakefield, Mary Creagh, between 2005 and 2009.

Personal Life

Simon Lightwood lives in Ossett, in the Wakefield area, with his husband. They have two young children.

In 2024, PinkNews listed Lightwood among a number of out LGBTQ+ parliamentarians.

He previously lived in Wakefield before moving to Calderdale, reportedly so his husband could be closer to work, and pledged to move back to the Wakefield area following his election in 2022. Ossett is now part of the neighbouring Ossett and Denby Dale constituency following the 2024 boundary changes.

Trivia

Simon Lightwood supports his local Rugby League team, Wakefield Trinity RLFC.