Alan Campbell (politician)

Sir Alan Campbell (born 8 July 1957) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Tynemouth since 1997.

Early life
Alan Campbell was born in Consett and went to Blackfyne Grammar School in the town before attending Lancaster University where he was awarded a BA in politics. He then gained a PGCE at the University of Leeds, before finishing his education at Newcastle Polytechnic with an MA in history. He began his career as a history teacher at Whitley Bay High School in 1981; after eight years there became head of the sixth form at Hirst High School, Ashington, then head of department, where he remained until he was elected to the House of Commons.

Member of Parliament
Campbell was first elected to Parliament at the 1997 general election, when he was elected as MP for Tynemouth with 55.4% of the vote and a majority of 11,273 votes. He made his maiden speech on 2 June 1997. Following his election, Campbell was a member of the public accounts select committee for the duration of his first parliament.

At the 2001 general election Campbell was re-elected as MP for Tynemouth with a decreased vote share of 53.2% and a decreased majority of 8,678. After the election he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Gus Macdonald, and in 2003 became the PPS to Adam Ingram at the Ministry of Defence.

At the 2005 general election, Campbell was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 47% and a decreased majority of 4,143. He entered the government of Tony Blair after the election as an assistant whip, being promoted to a full whip in 2006. On 5 October 2008, Campbell was promoted to the Home Office as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

In opposition
At the 2010 general election, Campbell was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 45.3% and an increased majority of 5,739 votes. After Ed Miliband was appointed party leader, he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip of the Labour Party, serving under Rosie Winterton as Chief Whip.

Campbell was again re-elected at the 2015 general election, with an increased vote share of 48.2% and an increased majority of 8,240. He was again re-elected at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 57% and an increased majority of 11,666. At the 2019 general election, Campbell was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 48% and a decreased majority of 4,857.

In government
Following the Labour Party's landslide victory in the 2024 general election, he was appointed Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 5 July, which mirrored his same previous position as the new Chief Whip of the Labour Party in the May 2021 shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Personal life
He married Jayne Lamont in August 1991 in Newcastle upon Tyne; they have a son and a daughter.

In May 2000, he had an operation at Newcastle General Hospital to remove a benign tumour from the top of his spine.

He was knighted as Knight Bachelor in the 2019 New Year Honours List.