Ben Goldsborough
Ben Goldsborough | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for South Norfolk | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Bacon |
| Majority | 2,826 (5.7%) |
| Mayor of Flint | |
| In office 19 May 2023 – 17 May 2024 | |
| Deputy | Mel Buckley |
| Preceded by | Michelle Perfect |
| Succeeded by | Mel Buckley |
| Deputy Mayor of Flint | |
| In office 20 May 2022 – 19 May 2023 | |
| Mayor | Michelle Perfect |
| Preceded by | Mel Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Mel Buckley |
| Flint Town Councillor for Coleshill | |
| In office 6 May 2022 – 4 July 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Hanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1990 (age 34) Suffolk, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Welsh Labour |
| Education | Newmarket Upper School |
| Alma mater | University of Hull (BA) |
| Website | bengoldsborough |
Ben Goldsborough (born September 1990) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Norfolk since the 2024 general election.[1] Prior to his election as an MP, Goldsborough had served as a councillor on the Flint Town Council in Flintshire, Wales.
Early life and education
Goldsborough was born in September 1990 in Suffolk.[2][3][4] He attended Newmarket Upper School from 2003 to 2008 before graduating with a BA in British Politics and Legislative Studies from the University of Hull in 2015.[5][6] Goldsborough grew up in Norfolk but later moved to Wales for work.[7]
Political career
From 2015 to 2019, Goldsborough served as a parliamentary assistant for David Hanson, then-MP for Delyn.[5] He was elected unopposed as a Labour councillor for Coleshill ward on the Flint Town Council in May 2022.[8] The same month, he ran for the Northop seat on Flintshire County Council and finished third out of six candidates in the election.[9] On 20 May 2022, Goldsborough was appointed Deputy Mayor of Flint on a one-year term.[10] In May 2023, he was appointed Mayor of Flint on a one-year term.[11]
Goldsborough initially sought the Labour parliamentary candidate nomination for Clwyd East in April 2023, but lost to eventual MP Becky Gittins.[12][13] In May 2024, he was selected to stand as the Labour candidate for South Norfolk in the 2024 general election.[14] He won the constituency from the Conservative Party by a margin of 2,826 votes and became South Norfolk's first Labour MP since Christopher Mayhew, who held the seat from 1945 to 1950.[1][15]
Personal life
Goldsborough lives with his parents in Snetterton.[4] In February 2025, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage II melanoma.[3]
Electoral performance
House of Commons
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ben Goldsborough | 17,353 | 35.0 | +11.6 | |
| Conservative | Poppy Simister-Thomas | 14,527 | 29.3 | −27.2 | |
| Reform UK | Chris Harrison | 7,583 | 15.3 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Brown | 5,746 | 11.6 | –5.4 | |
| Green | Catherine Rowett | 3,987 | 8.0 | +4.8 | |
| Independent | Paco Davila | 254 | 0.5 | New | |
| SDP | Jason Maguire | 129 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 2,826 | 5.7 | |||
| Turnout | 49,579 | 66.9 | –7.4 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +19.4 | |||
Flintshire County Council
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Marion Bateman | 779 | 38.5 | ||
| Independent | Linda Thew | 736 | 36.4 | ||
| Labour | Ben Goldsborough | 617 | 30.5 | ||
| Independent | Paul Ashley | 417 | 20.6 | ||
| Independent | Tony Sharps | 395 | 19.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Uzma Sikander | 330 | 16.3 | ||
| Turnout | 2,021 | ||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
Flint Town Council
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Norma Davies | Unopposed | |||
| Labour | Russell Davies | Unopposed | |||
| Labour | Ben Goldsborough | Unopposed | |||
| Independent | Carol Griffiths | Unopposed | |||
| Labour | Michelle Perfect | Unopposed | |||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
References
- ^ a b c "South Norfolk – General election results 2024". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "Ben Goldsborough birth record". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ a b Moseley, Paul (5 February 2025). "A cut from a fence led to my cancer diagnosis – MP". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ a b Storey, Eleanor (6 August 2024). "MP who lives with parents calls for more housing". BBC News. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ a b Goldsborough, Ben. "Ben Goldsborough". LinkedIn. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Goldsborough, Ben (10 June 2015). "UQ if you want to: John Bercow's impact on Urgent Questions". Political Studies Association. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Lowe, Freddy (2 September 2024). "Meeting Ben Goldsborough: The New MP for South Norfolk". Wymondham Magazine. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Election results for Flint – Coleshill / Y Fflint – Cwnsyllt – Thursday, 5th May, 2022". Flintshire County Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Election results for Northop – Thursday, 5th May, 2022". Flintshire County Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "Mayor's Inauguration". Flint Town Council. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "Mayor's Inauguration". Flint Town Council. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Goldsborough, Ben [@BenGoldsborough] (5 April 2023). "Being shortlisted for #ClwydEast selection is truly humbling. Diolch o galon to everyone who got us this far" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 June 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kendrick, Suzanne (25 January 2024). "Labour choose their parliamentary candidate for Clwyd East". Rhyl Journal. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "Ben Goldsborough has been selected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for South Norfolk". Labour East. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Storey, Eleanor (5 July 2024). "Ben Goldsborough is new Labour MP in South Norfolk". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 27 June 2025.