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Dan Carden

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Daniel Joseph Carden (born 28 October 1986) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Walton since 2017.[1]

Dan Carden
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Member of Parliament
for Liverpool Walton
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded bySteve Rotheram
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
2018–2020International Development
Shadow Minister
2020Financial Secretary
2018International Development
Majority20,245 (54.9%)
Personal details
Born
Daniel Joseph Carden

(1986-10-28) 28 October 1986 (age 38)
Liverpool, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materLondon School of Economics (BSc)
Websitewww.66prioryroad.co.uk

Carden served as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development from 2018 to 2020,[2] and Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury from April to October 2020.[3] He resigned from the latter role due to the disagreements with the party leadership over the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill.[4]

Carden is a patron of LGBT Labour, one of eight LGBT MPs newly elected in the 2017 general election.[5][6] An avowed socialist, he paid tribute to his predecessor Eric Heffer in a memorial lecture in January 2019.[7] He is a former member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus but left the group in 2024.[8]

Early life and career

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Daniel Carden was born on 28 October 1986 in Liverpool.[9] His mother worked in the NHS for over 40 years.[10] His father, Mike Carden, was a shop steward during the Liverpool dockers' dispute during the 1990s, and was left unemployed for seven years after being sacked for refusing to cross a picket line. In his maiden speech, Carden recalled: “From the age of eight, I stood on picket lines, and I’m as proud to stand alongside workers in struggle today as an MP as I was then as a kid”.[11]

His secondary education was at St Edward's College in West Derby, Liverpool, where he was the Head Boy.[12] He went on to study International Relations at the London School of Economics, graduating with a BSc, where he was also chair of the university Labour Club.[13]

Prior to becoming an MP, Carden worked at Unite the Union in the office of its General Secretary, Len McCluskey.[14]

Parliamentary career

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First term (2017–2019)

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In June 2017, Carden defeated Liverpool City Mayor Joe Anderson, Theresa Griffin MEP and others to be selected by the NEC to be selected as the Labour candidate for Liverpool Walton.[15] At the snap 2017 general election, Carden was elected to Parliament as MP for Liverpool Walton with 85.7% of the vote and a majority of 32,551.[16][17][18]

In October 2017, Carden campaigned for a ban on LGBT conversion therapy after a church in Anfield was exposed by a Liverpool Echo investigation for offering ritual starvation as a 'cure' for homosexuality.[19][20] In July 2018, the UK Government pledged to bring forward proposals for a legislative ban.[21][22]

Also in July 2018, Carden used two consecutive Prime Minister's Questions to call for the new Royal Liverpool Hospital to be delivered in the public sector following the collapse of Carillion.[23][24] On 25 September 2018, it was reported that the government would terminate the Private finance initiative deal, taking the hospital into full public ownership.[25]

Shadow International Development Secretary

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On 1 December 2018, Carden was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development after the resignation of Kate Osamor.[2]

In the run-up to the 2019 General Election, Carden promised “the most radical international development policies ever seen in this country.”[26] He said Labour would turn the CDC Group into a green development bank and create a new Public Services Unit for water, healthcare and education.[27][28] Other policy plans included banning all aid spending on fossil fuels, support for trade unions globally, tripling funding for women's rights groups, introducing an ombudsman for abuse in aid sector and support for small-scale farmers with a Food Sovereignty Fund.[29]

Carden called for the UK to use its influence to democratise the IMF and World Bank, challenging the agenda of liberalising markets, cutting social spending and privatising public services “so the poorest countries can decide their own destiny”.[30] Alongside Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, he proposed an Overseas Loan Transparency Act to establish a new compulsory register to put an end to exploitative secret loans to foreign governments.[31] At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carden called for the debts of countries in the Global South to be cancelled so that resources could go towards healthcare not debt repayments.[32][33]

At the 2019 general election, Carden was re-elected as MP for Liverpool Walton with a decreased vote share of 84.7% and a decreased majority of 30,520.[34][35]

Second term (2019–2024)

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Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury

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On 9 April 2020, Carden became Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury following a reshuffle by new party leader Keir Starmer.[3] In October, he accused the Conservative government of corruption in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting public contracts handed to Tory-linked firms without competition or transparency.[36][37]

Return to the backbenches

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On 15 October 2020, Carden resigned from Labour's front bench in order to vote against the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, defying the party's instruction to abstain.[38] In his resignation letter, he wrote: "As a Liverpool MP and trade unionist, I share the deep concerns about this legislation from across the labour movement, human rights organisations, and so many who have suffered the abuse of state power, from blacklisted workers to the Hillsborough families and survivors."[4]

Carden has become involved with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In March 2022, Carden delivered an address to the global assembly of parliamentarians in Indonesia. Referencing his Irish heritage, he called on countries to accept more refugees and to reject "anti-migrant, racist rhetoric".[39][40] In November 2022, Carden became Treasurer of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.[41] On 12 March 2023, at the Inter-Parliamentary Union's 146th Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, Carden was elected President of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians.[42]

In September 2023, Carden was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, after Samantha Dixon left the position to become a whip.[43] However, on 15 November 2023, Dan Carden was among 10 frontbench Labour MPs to resign their roles in order to vote in favour of a motion tabled by the SNP calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, joining a group of 56 Labour MPs in defying the party's instruction to abstain.[44][45]

On 13 December 2023, Carden was appointed Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Mexico.[46]

Third term (2024–present)

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At the 2024 general election, Carden was again re-elected with a decreased vote share of 70.6% and a decreased majority of 20,245.[47]

Alcohol addiction and recovery

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In July 2021, Carden revealed during a parliamentary debate that in his early twenties alcohol addiction had nearly killed him amid the pressure of coming to terms with his sexuality. In recovery since 2019, Carden credits his sobriety to the support of his family and friends, as well as the guidance of support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.[48][49]

In 2021, Carden led a campaign to deliver the recommendations of Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs, securing the largest ever investment for addiction treatment services.[50] He has also campaigned for measures such as minimum unit pricing and greater regulation of alcohol advertising.[51][52] Working with Alcohol Health Alliance UK, he has led calls for an Independent Review of Alcohol to inform a new Alcohol Strategy, highlighting that despite record alcohol-specific deaths, the UK has not published a strategy for tackling alcohol harm since 2012.[53]

Carden is an Ambassador for Adfam and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice.[54][55][56]

References

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  1. ^ Thorp, Liam (11 May 2017). "We meet the 30-year-old who beat Mayor Anderson to contest Liverpool MP role". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Labour MP Kate Osamor resigns as shadow international development secretary". New Statesman. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rodgers, Sienna (9 April 2020). "Shadow ministers appointed as Starmer completes frontbench". LabourList. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b Burtenshaw, Ronan (15 October 2020). "Dan Carden Resigns from Labour Frontbench over CHIS Bill". Tribune.
  5. ^ "Patrons". LGBT+ Labour.
  6. ^ "The UK just elected a record number of LGBTQ people to Parliament". Pink News.
  7. ^ Carden, Dan (27 January 2019). "Never a Yes Man". Tribune.
  8. ^ Rogers, Sienna (7 May 2024). "The Labour Left under Keir Starmer: 'They're not just sealing the tomb but incinerating it'". The House. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11778.
  10. ^ "Trade unionist Dan Carden selected in Liverpool Walton". Left Futures. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Dan Carden, maiden speech (full)". YouTube. 13 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Secondary education".
  13. ^ "Dan Carden MP talks Parliament, Jeremy Corbyn and music venue closures". Getintothis. 22 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Unite aide wins selection for coveted Liverpool Walton seat". Labour List. 9 May 2017.
  15. ^ Thomas, Joe (9 June 2017). "Liverpool's new MP Dan Carden 'absolutely honoured'". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Liverpool, Walton - 2017 Election Results". General Elections Online. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  17. ^ Fitzgerald, Ged (11 May 2017). "Statement of persons nominated, notice of poll. Election of a Member of Parliament for the Liverpool Walton Constituency". Liverpool City Council. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  19. ^ Parry, John (2 July 2018). "Parliament hears calls for ban on gay 'cure' therapies after ECHO investigation". Liverpool ECHO.
  20. ^ "Hansard, Topical Questions Volume 629: debated on Monday 16 October 2017".
  21. ^ Parry, John (3 July 2018). "Government moves to 'end' gay cure therapy after ECHO investigation". Liverpool ECHO.
  22. ^ "LGBT Action Plan" (PDF). July 2018.
  23. ^ "Liverpool Royal Hospital: MP calls for public ownership of stalled build". BBC. 11 July 2018.
  24. ^ Humphries, Jonathan (8 August 2018). "Liverpool's 'new' Royal hospital stands empty - how did it come to this and when will it finally be finished?". Liverpool ECHO.
  25. ^ "Stalled Royal Liverpool Hospital to be publicly funded". BBC. 25 September 2018.
  26. ^ MP, Dan Carden (21 November 2019). "I'm proud of our section of the #LabourManifesto, with the most radical international development policies ever seen in this country..."
  27. ^ McVeigh, Karen (21 November 2019). "Labour vows to make UK development bank a champion of climate justice". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  28. ^ Carden, Dan (7 August 2019). "People, not profit". Fabians. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  29. ^ "2019 Labour Manifesto". The Labour Party. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  30. ^ @DanCardenMP (11 April 2019). "To end global poverty we must change the rules of a failed economic system..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "A Labour Government Will Not Ignore The Global Debt Crisis". Huffington Post UK. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  32. ^ Carden, Dan (25 March 2020). "The British government has abandoned the Global South to coronavirus". Open Democracy UK.
  33. ^ @DanCardenMP (1 April 2020). "We must go beyond aid and charity in supporting countries in the Global South" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Liverpool Walton parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  35. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  36. ^ "Hansard, Local Contact Tracing Volume 682: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2020".
  37. ^ Carden, Dan (9 December 2020). "Obscene profiteering and cronyism has been the hallmark of the government's response to Covid". Politics Home.
  38. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (15 October 2020). "Dan Carden quits Labour frontbench over 'spycops' bill". LabourList.
  39. ^ Thorp, Liam (28 March 2022). "Liverpool MP Dan Carden rails against 'anti-migrant, racist rhetoric' as he urges support for refugees". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Dan Carden speech at the 144th Inter-Parliamentary Union". Dan Cardens's official Youtube channel. 25 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Officers - BGIPU". 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  42. ^ Nimmo, Rick (16 March 2023). "BGIPU member Dan Carden MP elected President of Forum of Young Parliamentarians". BGIPU. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  43. ^ ""Labour has a new top team."". Samantha Dixon MP. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  44. ^ "How did my MP vote on Gaza ceasefire?". BBC News. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  45. ^ "Rishi's Rwanda Plan B". POLITICO. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Prime Minister's Trade Envoy programme appointments". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  47. ^ Liverpool Walton
  48. ^ "'Choose to live': Dan Carden's emotional speech about alcohol addiction – video". The Guardian. 1 July 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  49. ^ "Hansard: Pride Month debate".
  50. ^ Adu, Aletha (26 October 2021). "MP who battled alcohol addiction demands £1.78billion for treatment services". mirror. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  51. ^ Chappell, Elliot (18 November 2021). "Labour MP with history of alcohol addiction calls for minimum unit pricing". LabourList. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  52. ^ "MPs debate alcohol labelling". Alcohol Health Alliance. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  53. ^ "MPs, Lords and over 50 organisations and experts write to the Prime Minister calling for an independent review on alcohol harm". Alcohol Health Alliance. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  54. ^ "Dan Carden MP becomes Adfam Ambassador". Adfam. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  55. ^ "Drugs, Alcohol and Justice APPG". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  56. ^ DDN (30 May 2022). "Visible Recovery". Drink and Drugs News. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
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