Steve Witherden

Steve Witherden
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byCraig Williams
Majority3,815 (8.8%)
Personal details
Born
Wrexham, Wales
PartyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Wales, Lampeter
University of Wales, Aberystwyth (PGCE)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • teacher
  • trade unionist

Steve Witherden is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr since 2024.

Ideologically on the left, he is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group. Witherden has focused his parliamentary career on such issues as the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, Cuba, and the ongoing Gaza war. Witherden as a backbencher was at times an outspoken critic of Keir Starmer. Witherden backed Andy Burnham and now serves as a Parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Early life and career

His father was a founding member of the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Powys. Witherden describes on his Facebook page[1] how in the 1970s his dad brought the family with him to Machynlleth and "a few years later I came along".

He was born in Wrexham, Wales.[2] He earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Wales, Lampeter, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.[3]

Witherden worked as a teacher in his constituency for 18 years. He also served as a trade union representative from 2009 and as a county officer from 2015.[4]

Witherden is dyslexic and dyscalculic, and was illiterate until the age of 11. These experiences led him to become a teacher.[5]

Political career

Witherden won the Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr seat with a majority of 3,815 votes. The former Montgomeryshire MP, Craig Williams, finished third. In his victory speech, Witherden stated that "Montgomeryshire is the only seat in Wales that had never had a Labour MP so history has been made here tonight".[6]

In his maiden speech, Witherden cited the creation of Great British Energy and the elimination of zero-hour contracts as his priorities.[5]

He sits on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee in Parliament.[7]

In November 2024, Witherden voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a proposal to legalise assisted suicide.[8]

Witherden opposes the government's proposed welfare benefits reforms.[9]

In April 2026, Witherden was accused of plagiarising a constituent's letter of appeal, and idea, presented to him in February 2026, to have unused ventilators stored in the UK sent to Ukraine. A letter from Witherden, dated 3 days later, made the same appeal on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Cuba, in which he made similar points to his constituent's original letter of appeal.[10]

Witherden is the Chair of the APPG for Education [11] and Parliamentary Convenor of the Socialist Education Association.

Witherden in the summer of 2026 was made a Parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in the new Premiership of Andy Burnham [12]

Personal life

Witherden is married and has two children, a son and a daughter.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Witherden, Steve (14 April 2026). "Another video from my visit to Machynlleth last week, this time on their bid for Town of Culture 2028". Facebook.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Hughes, Owen; Mosalski, Ruth (5 July 2024). "The full list of all eight MPs in North Wales and who they are". North Wales Live. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "Steve Witherden - Welsh Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr General Election 2024". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr - Steve Witherden". Welsh Labour. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Steve Witherden Maiden Speech". parliament.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  6. ↑ Jones, Matt (5 July 2024). "General Election 2024: Labour win Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr seat". The Leader. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr MP Steve Witherden elected to committee". County Times. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP details his vote in favour of assisted dying bill". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Labour's welfare reform U-turn not enough, says Welsh MP". BBC News. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Ukraine volunteer claims MP stole idea to donate ventilators - to divert them to Cuba". BBC News. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  11. ↑ https://educationappg.org.uk/about-the-appg/officers-and-members/
  12. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/27/burnham-brings-members-of-socialist-campaign-group-into-government/
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