Mike Amesbury

Michael Lee Amesbury (born 7 May 1969) is a British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Runcorn and Helsby and its predecessor constituency Weaver Vale since 2017. He has served as Shadow Minister for Building Safety and Homelessness since 2023. He previously served as Shadow Minister for Employment from 2018 to 2020, Shadow Minister for Housing from 2020 to 2021 and Shadow Minister for Local Government from 2021 to 2022.

Early life and career
Michael Amesbury was born on 7 May 1969 in Wythenshawe. He was educated at Ilkley College and the University of Central England.

A careers advisor by trade, Amesbury previously worked as a manager with the Connexions careers advice service. He also worked as Senior Parliamentary Advisor to Angela Rayner while she was Shadow Secretary of State for Education, and as political advisor and stakeholder manager on Andy Burnham's successful campaign to become Mayor of Greater Manchester. He was a director of City South Manchester Housing Trust, an award-winning social enterprise providing affordable housing in the Fallowfield, Hulme, Moss Side and Whalley Range areas of south Manchester. He also served as a policy advisor to Tameside Council.

Political career
Amesbury joined the Labour Party as a 17-year-old after moving with his family to Yorkshire, where he says he was politicised by the impact on local families of Margaret Thatcher's political policies and the subsequent miners' strike.

He served as a Regional Officer and Fundraising and Events Manager for Labour and was later elected to the party's National Policy Forum (NPF), the policymaking arm of the Labour Party.

Amesbury was elected to Manchester City Council representing Fallowfield Ward in 2006, defeating the incumbent Liberal Democrat, and subsequently winning re-election in 2010 and 2014. Rising to the position of Executive Member for Culture and Leisure from 2008 to 2012, he helped bring the National Football Museum to the city. He stood down following his election to the House of Commons, triggering a by-election in his ward in July 2017.

He campaigned for 'remain' in the 2016 EU membership referendum.

Parliamentary career
At the snap 2017 general election, Amesbury was elected to Parliament as MP for Weaver Vale with 51.5% of the vote and a majority of 3,928.

In October 2017, Amesbury stated that he supports the eventual implementation of proportional representation at elections and reform of the House of Lords to make its membership mainly elected.

He was named Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Shadow Department for Work and Pensions team in January 2018, and in July of the same year was promoted to Shadow

In March 2019, Amesbury apologised for having shared an antisemitic caricature on Facebook in 2013, stating “I apologise unreservedly for this terrible error. I genuinely don’t recall sharing this image and I’m mortified that I did so. This appalling image image contains an antisemitic caricature and a reference to the ‘illuminati’ conspiracy theory. I would never have intentionally shared antisemitic tropes and I am sincerely sorry that I did”.

At the 2019 general election, Amesbury was re-elected as MP for Weaver Vale with a decreased vote share of 44.9% and a decreased majority of 562.

In March 2020, Amesbury put forward a private member's bill on education for a second reading. The Bill is seeking to reduce the cost of school uniforms. In April 2021, the bill became law after it made it through final reading in the House of Lords and received royal assent the following day.

Amesbury was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning in the April 2020 reshuffle following Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader. In the subsequent May 2021 reshuffle, his brief was reduced to the Shadow Minister for Housing, with Ruth Cadbury receiving the planning portfolio.

In July 2020, Amesbury became one of four vice-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing, which some campaigners have criticised on whistleblowing law reform.

Prior to the 2024 general election, Amesbury's constituency of Weaver Vale was abolished, with the majority of it becoming part of the new Runcorn and Helsby seat. In January 2024, Amesbury was selected as the Labour candidate for Runcorn and Helsby at the 2024 general election.

Personal life
Amesbury is married and has a son. He is a Manchester United fan and his interests include rugby league and indie music.