Josh MacAlister
Josh MacAlister | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 13,286 (31.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | joshforwestcumbria |
Joshua MacAlister[1] OBE is a British Labour politician who has been Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington since 2024.[2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]MacAlister's father worked as a social worker.[4]
MacAlister studied for, and received, an MA (Hons) in politics and social policy at the University of Edinburgh. MacAlister served as President of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association.[5] In 2008, he unsuccessfully contested the Presidency of the National Union of Students Scotland.
MacAlister also studied for, and received, a masters degree in leadership in education at the University of Manchester.[6]
Professional life
[edit]Teaching
[edit]MacAlister trained as a teacher through the Teach First Programme and went on to work as a teacher in Oldham.
Frontline
[edit]During his time as a teacher, MacAlister began to engage with young people with experience of the care system. These experiences led MacAlister to establish Frontline, a graduate social worker training programme modeled on Teach First, in 2013.[4] The first cohort began their training the following year.[6]
In 2019, the Department for Education provided Frontline with £45 million in funding.[7]
Independent Review of Children's Social Care
[edit]In January 2021 MacAlister stepped down from his role at Frontline in order to chair an independent review of children's social care.[7] MacAlister's appointment was criticized by some social work academics who questioned whether he could be impartial given that Frontline had received central government funding.[7]
In June 2021, the review published its interim findings. In October 2021 the review published a second report in response to the feedback received on the interim report. The final report of the review was published in May 2022.[8]
Awards
[edit]MacAlister was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the King's 2023 New Year's Honours for services to vulnerable children.[9]
Member of Parliament
[edit]In June 2023, MacAlister was selected as the Labour Party's candidate for the newly created constituency of Whitehaven and Workington.[10]
At the 2024 general election, MacAlister was elected as the Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington. MacAlister was elected with 53% of the vote and a majority of over 13,000 votes.[11]
Personal life
[edit]In 2023 MacAlister joined his local mountain rescue team.[12] In July 2024, shortly after being elected as an MP, MacAlister was called out to a mountain rescue.[13]
In 2024, PinkNews listed him as an out LGBTQ+ parliamentarian.[14] He is married to educationalist Matthew Hood.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Whitehaven and Workington | General Election 2024 | Sky News". election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Josh MacAlister elected as first MP for Whitehaven and Workington". News and Star. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ a b "Frontline founder: 'Social work needs life-changing professionals'". The Guardian. 2013-09-11. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "The former student leaders entering Parliament". Wonkhe. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
- ^ a b "Josh MacAlister". IPPR. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b c "A Row Has Broken Out Over The Independence Of A Major Review Into Children In Care". Politics Home. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "The independent review of Children's social care: Debate Pack" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Frontline founder recognised in New Year's Honours List for 2024". 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Social Work News". www.mysocialworknews.com. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Labour seizes Cumbria winning five of six seats". BBC News. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ Edwards, Lucy (2 February 2023). "Cumbrian man behind £200 million plan to fix children's social care". Cumbria Crack. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "MP Josh MacAlister called to Cumbria mountain rescue after election win". BBC News. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Number of out LGBTQ+ MPS falls following election".
- ^ https://schoolsweek.co.uk/matt-hood-to-leave-ambition-institute-role/