James Frith

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = James Frith

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image = File:Official_portrait_of_James_Frith_crop_2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2017

| office = Member of Parliament
for Bury North

| predecessor = James Daly

| successor =

| term_start = 4 July 2024

| term_end =

| predecessor2 = David Nuttall

| successor2 = James Daly

| term_start2 = 8 June 2017

| term_end2 = 6 November 2019

| office3 = Member of Bury Council
for Elton

| term_start3 = 5 May 2011

| term_end3 = 7 May 2015

| predecessor3 = Denise Bigg

| successor3 = Michael Hankey

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|04|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = London, England

| party = Labour

| spouse = Nikki Frith

| children = 4

| parents = Richard Frith

| alma_mater = Manchester Metropolitan University

}}

James Richard Frith (born 23 April 1977) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North since 2024. He was previously the MP from 2017 to 2019.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/james-frith/4637|title=James Frith MP|publisher=UK Parliament}}

Early life and career

Frith was born in London on 23 April 1977,{{Who's Who|title=FRITH, James Richard|id=U289473|volume=2018|edition=February 2018 online|access-date=13 February 2018}}{{cite web |title=James Frith MP |url=http://myparliament.info/Member/4637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819192250/http://myparliament.info/Member/4637 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=19 August 2017 | website = myparliament.info |publisher= MyParliament |access-date=15 September 2017}} the son of Richard Frith, who formerly served as Bishop of Hull and Bishop of Hereford. He was privately educated at both Monkton Combe School and Taunton School, and then studied Politics and Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=James Frith - LinkedIn|url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesfrith|access-date=|website=}}

Frith was the lead singer in a rock band called Finka, and later another band, the Fusileers, performing nationwide at venues and festivals including Glastonbury.{{Cite web|title=MP Who Once Played Glastonbury Leads Parliament Debate on Crisis in Music Education|url=https://jamesfrith.org/news/2019/07/17/music-education/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=James Frith|language=en-GB|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711155252/https://jamesfrith.org/news/2019/07/17/music-education/|url-status=dead}}

During the 2005 General Election campaign, Frith worked as a Campaign and Communications Manager for the Labour Party and Ruth Kelly MP, then Secretary of State for Education.

Before his election to Parliament, Frith was the CEO and Founder of All Together, a social enterprise providing careers education and guidance services to young people to help them get into work.

Political career

In the 2010 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election, Frith unsuccessfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for Elton ward against incumbent Conservative Michael Hankey.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Bury-1973-2012.pdf|access-date=|website=}} He successfully stood for Elton ward again in 2011, gaining the open seat from the Conservatives after disgraced incumbent Denise Bigg chose not to seek re-election.{{Cite web|date=2010-01-26|title=Drink drive councillor thought wine was alcohol-free|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drink-drive-councillor-thought-wine-881464|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Manchester Evening News|language=en}} Frith became the first Labour councillor to represent the ward since 2002.

Frith sat on the Licensing Committee during his four-year term as a Councillor, and opted to run for Parliament rather than seek re-election.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-04|title=Councillor details - Councillor James Frith|url=https://councildecisions.bury.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=132|access-date=2021-01-04|website=councildecisions.bury.gov.uk|language=en-gb|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711155252/https://councildecisions.bury.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=132|url-status=dead}}

After being selected as the Labour Party candidate in Bury North for the 2015 General Election, he was profiled by the Young Fabians during the 2015 General Election campaign for a pamphlet on prospective parliamentary candidates named 'Fifteen for 2015'. In the pamphlet, Frith said "I think [Blair] did more for ordinary people and families than any government since", but added New Labour “should have gone further and faster”.{{Cite web|date=April 26, 2015|first=Joe|last=Jervis|title=Fifteen for 2015: The Rock Star Politician|url=http://www.youngfabians.org.uk/fifteen_for_2015_james_frith|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Young Fabians|language=en}} He lost to incumbent Conservative David Nuttall by 378 votes despite a swing to Labour.{{Cite news|title=Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News|language=en-GB|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000611|access-date=2021-01-04}}

Frith contributed to the Fabian Society's book Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats after his election defeat, criticising the leadership's 'failure to build on Labour's excellent record on enterprise and skills in government by engaging properly with the business community'.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Never Again: Lessons from Labour's Key Seats|url=http://www.fabians.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Never-Again-Lessons-from-Labours-key-seats.pdf|access-date=|website=}}

He was re-selected to stand as the Labour candidate for Bury North in the 2017 General Election, fending off a challenge from high-profile candidate Karen Danczuk.{{Cite web|title=James Frith announced as Labour candidate for Bury North ahead of Karen Danczuk|url=https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/15258028.james-frith-announced-as-labour-party-candidate-for-bury-north-seat-ahead-of-karen-danczuk/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Bury Times|date=May 2017 |language=en}}

= Parliamentary career =

Frith was elected as Member of Parliament for Bury North in 2017, defeating incumbent Conservative David Nuttall with a majority of 4,375.{{Cite web|title=Bury North (Constituency) 2017 results - General election results - UK Parliament|url=https://electionresults.parliament.uk/election/2017-06-08/results/Location/Constituency/Bury%20North|access-date=2021-01-04|website=electionresults.parliament.uk|language=en}} He made his maiden speech on 19 July 2017 during the debate on tuition fees.{{Cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-07-19/debates/EEE5DFC1-B34A-451C-91FE-FCBACFC86114/TuitionFees#contribution-93EC6E4F-D056-4FD4-926D-A566C606374C|title=Hansard|website=Parliament|language=en|access-date=2018-10-23}}

Frith was a member of the Education Select Committee from 2017 to 2019, and chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospice and End of Life Care. In May 2018, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Healey MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing.{{Cite web|title=Bury MP's 'delight' over new parliamentary role|url=https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/16224715.bury-mp-james-friths-delight-new-parliamentary-role/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Bury Times|date=14 May 2018 |language=en}}

He edited a book entitled New Brooms, published by the Fabian Society in 2018, featuring a collection of essays on parliamentary reform written by several Labour MPs from the 2017 intake.{{Cite web|title=New Brooms {{!}} Fabian Society|date=12 September 2018 |url=https://fabians.org.uk/publication/new-brooms|access-date=2021-01-04|language=en}}

In July 2019, Frith worked alongside UK Music to secure and lead a debate in Westminster Hall on the decline of music in education, during which he urged the government combat the crisis facing music in education.

He lost his seat in the 2019 General Election to James Daly, Bury Council's Conservative Group Leader, by 105 votes and conceded after three recounts.{{Cite news|date=2019-12-15|title=General election 2019: What's it like to lose your seat as an MP?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50712756|access-date=2021-01-04}}{{Cite news|title=Bury North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000611|access-date=2020-09-09}} Following his defeat, Frith described feeling a "a degree of release" from the weeks campaigning, but added he felt the impact of being "inches from winning".

He was re-elected in the 2024 General Election to Bury North and sits on the Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee.

= Post-parliamentary activity =

In an opinion piece for LabourList during the 2020 Labour Leadership Election, Frith invited all the candidates to visit his marginal constituency to better understand the seats they need to win. Also in the piece, he was critical of the party's 2019 General Election campaign for 'sending hundreds of activists to Tory seats that we had no hope of winning' and cautioned against creating a 'manifesto that nobody believes'.{{Cite web|last=Frith|first=James|title=How will candidates fight to win the country, not just the conference hall?|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/02/how-will-candidates-fight-to-win-the-country-not-just-the-conference-hall/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=LabourList|date=4 February 2020 |language=en-GB}}

Frith worked at Atticus Partners before re-entering parliament, a political lobbying and PR group.

Personal life

Frith and his wife Nikki have been Bury residents since 2009, where they have raised their four children.{{Cite web|title=About me|url=https://jamesfrith.org/about/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=James Frith|language=en-GB|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711155252/https://jamesfrith.org/about/|url-status=dead}} He has spoken about the challenges of balancing family life whilst being a Member of Parliament.{{Cite web|title=Inspiring Dads - James Frith - MP and a Dad of 4.|url=https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/articles/2019/2/18/jamesfrith|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Inspiring Dads|date=19 February 2019 |language=en-GB}}