Christopher Philip James Elmore (born 23 December 1983)[1] is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bridgend, previously Ogmore, since 2016. He has been Comptroller of the Household (Government Whip) since 10 July 2024.[2]

Chris Elmore
Official portrait, 2019
Comptroller of the Household
Assumed office
10 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byRebecca Harris
Shadow Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure
In office
4 December 2021 – 22 July 2022
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byStephanie Peacock
Shadow Minister for Scotland
In office
9 April 2020 – 4 December 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byPaul Sweeney
Succeeded byLiz Twist
Member of Parliament
for Ogmore
In office
5 May 2016 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byHuw Irranca-Davies
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of Parliament
for Bridgend
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byJamie Wallis
Personal details
Born
Christopher Philip James
Elmore

(1983-12-23) 23 December 1983 (age 40)[1]
Newport, Wales, UK
Political partyWelsh Labour
Alma materCardiff Metropolitan University
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and career

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Christopher Elmore was born on 23 December 1983 in Newport and lived in Brynmawr and Caerphilly as a child.[3]

He started his working life as a trainee butcher and later attended Cardiff Metropolitan University completing a degree in History and Culture in 2005. Elmore then worked in a number of professions including further education.[4]

In 2008, Elmore was elected as a councillor for Casteland in the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Later he was appointed as a cabinet member for children's services and schools.[5]

Parliamentary career

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Elmore stood as the Labour candidate in Vale of Glamorgan at the 2015 general election, coming second with 32.6% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Alun Cairns.[6][7][8]

At the 2016 Ogmore by-election, Elmore was elected to Parliament as MP for Ogmore with 52.6% of the vote and a majority of 8,575.[9]

In June 2016, Elmore joined the Justice Select Committee; he joined the Welsh Affairs Select Committee the following month.[10] In October 2016, he was appointed to the frontbench position of Opposition whip.[11]

He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[12]

While an MP, Elmore has particularly focused on issues that impact young people, often speaking in parliament and elsewhere on the subject.[13] Youth engagement was an issue on which Elmore had previously campaigned as a councillor.[14]

At the 2017 general election, Elmore was re-elected as MP for Ogmore with an increased vote share of 62.4% and an increased majority of 13,871.[15][16][17]

In 2017, Elmore was elected as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rail in Wales.[18] He has been a vocal opponent of the government's 2017 decision to cancel the planned electrification of the Great Western Mainline between Cardiff and Swansea. He has campaigned on issues including passenger safety.[19]

Elmore was re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 49.7% and a decreased majority of 7,805.[20][21]

In April 2020, Elmore was made Shadow Minister for Scotland by new Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. In this role he supported Ian Murray, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. He was also made a senior Opposition whip as a Shadow Lord Commissioner of HM Household.[22][23]

Elmore is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.[24]

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Elmore's constituency of Ogmore was abolished, and its southern part transferred to Bridgend.[25] At the 2024 general election, Elmore was elected to Parliament as MP for Bridgend with 39.9% of the vote and a majority of 8,595.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019. Glasgow: Times Books. 2020. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1.
  2. ^ "Ministerial Appointments". Number 10 Downing Street. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  3. ^ Elmore, Chris. "Home page". chriselmore.co.uk. Chris Elmore. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. ^ Shipton, Martin. "Labour select candidate for Ogmore's Parliamentary by-election". walesonline. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Chris Elmore". valeofglamorgan.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Vale of Glamorgan result" (PDF). Statement of Results. Vale of Glamorgan Council. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Vale of Glamorgan Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015 Results. BBC. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  9. ^ "By-election results since the 2015 General Election" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Chris Elmore MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Corbyn confirms whips office shake-up as frontbench appointments continue". Labour's biggest independent grassroots e-network. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  13. ^ How do we engage more young people in their communities, Fabians.org.uk; accessed 2 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Chris Elmore profile". valeofglamorgan.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  15. ^ http://www.bridgend.gov.uk/media/426111/statement-of-persons-nominated.pdf[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "Ogmore Parliamentary constituency". Election 2017 Results. BBC. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  17. ^ "2017 Results" (PDF). Bridgend Council. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  18. ^ Elmore, Chris (18 September 2017). "Chris Elmore MP becomes Chair of cross party group fighting for Welsh rail investment". chriselmore.co.uk. Chris Elmore. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  19. ^ Elmore, Chris (25 August 2017). "Chris Elmore: We've been DUPed by the Tories out of key rail infrastructure". Labour List. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Ogmore Parliamentary constituency". Election 2019 Results. BBC. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Election-Results/General-Election-2019" (PDF). Bridgend Council. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Keir Starmer appoints Labour frontbench". The Labour Party. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Labour makes Whips Office appointments". The Labour Party. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  24. ^ "LFI Parliamentary Supporters". Labour Friends of Israel. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  25. ^ 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies - The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales (PDF). Boundary Commission for Wales. 28 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Bridgend - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Ogmore

20162024
Constituency abolished
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Bridgend

2024–present
Incumbent
  NODES
News 1
orte 3
Story 1