Biography

Jim McMahon OBE MP is the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, the area he has served as MP since 2015.

Jim McMahon delivers his maiden speech in Parliament, 2015.

He is the chair of the Co-operative Party.

You can read the full list of current and previous posts held on the appointments page.

Family life

Jim McMahon (James Ignatius O’Rourke McMahon) to William and Alice (nee O’Rourke), on 7th July 1980 in Manchester.

His father worked throughout his childhood as a truck driver and his mother stayed home to raised him, his older brother, younger sister and brother.

He lives in Failsworth in the borough of Oldham with his partner and children.

Working life

Jim left school aged 16. After a summer job in a supermarket he worked as a trainee for the NHS at North Manchester General Hospital, before securing an apprenticeship as a technician at the University of Manchester. He would go on to become a senior technician.

As an apprentice he attended Oldham College.

This role coincided with becoming a councillor, and with it a change of career to focus on community work.

By 2004 he was working for a housing trust on estate environmental improvements, working alongside residents to transform underused land into community spaces.

This led him to the Groundwork Trust, an environmental charity working in deprived communities to widen access to nature, improve public open spaces, security and well-being.

He went on to serve as a Director of his local Groundwork Trust (Oldham & Rochdale), and as a Director of the Rochdale Canal Trust following the reopening of the route through Oldham to coincide with the millennium.

On becoming leader of Oldham Council he stepped down on his final post supporting regeneration, business development, and events as a Town Centre Manager.

Local Government

Jim McMahon first stood for election in the 2003 Failsworth East by-election, and has served in elected office for two decades, winning five consecutive elections in local government and four in parliament.

Grassroots leadership

Before being elected Jim was already well established in the local community, writing a monthly local history column for the Oldham Advertiser, serving as secretary of the local historical society, treasurer of the annual carnival, and as a school governor.

The community development and environmental improvements he undertook in his professional life was mirrored as a councillor, keen to roll his sleeves up and get things done. This included securing funding to improve public spaces, parks, playing fields, country parks, and community allotments.

He would secure funding to plant hundreds of trees in the district, and ‘wanting to do more than just attend the photo call’ he worked spare evenings and weekends, with his two young sons, to transform a tired Black Cab into a show stopping garden feature; the councils entry to North West in Bloom 2015, which still stands in the town today!

Co-operative Council

By 2008 he became leader of the opposition on Oldham Council and by 2011 Labour regained control of the council, and he became the youngest council leader in the country.

The Co-operative Council model was developed in opposition alongside Lambeth Council, and then Stevenage Council, in a bid to reset the culture and approach of the authority.

In Oldham this focused on a new localism programme with delegated budgets, neighbourhood services, and the creation of local district town halls. Additional powers for ward councillors came alongside training and development, and the publication of annual reports.

New powers for residents were also introduced including the Community Right to Call In, and enhanced rights to access and protect community assets. In addition, enhanced constitutional rights were granted to the Youth Council including the power to pass motions at the Full Council.

The Co-operative Council model grew to become the Co-operative Council Innovation Network where Jim McMahon would serve as its inaugural chair.

Devolution

As leader of the council he served on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority where he took responsibility for the Employment and Skills portfolio and latterly Transport.

With other leaders he would secure the 2015 devolution agreement with government, which would introduce a directly elected mayor for the city region, with new powers over skills, investment and health.

After serving in a number of roles on the Local Government Association Labour Group he was elected as its leader, representing Labour councillors across England, and sitting on Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee.

By 2015 he had been named Council Leader of the Year, awarded an OBE for services to the Community in Oldham, made an Honorary Fellow of the University Centre Oldham, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Parliament

Jim McMahon stood for Parliament in the 2015 Oldham West & Royton by-elected following the passing of Michael Meacher.

Labour won the by-election with a majority of 10,722 and he became its Member of Parliament.

Early posts

He served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party before promotion to Shadow Minister for Local Government Devolution & Finance.

During this period he was appointed as one of the Vice Presidents of the Local Government Association, where he serves to the present day.

Co-operative Party

In 2018 he was elected as the Chair of the Co-operative Party Parliamentary Group. He has sat on it’s governing body the National Executive Committee since.

From 2020 he has served as chair of the Co-operative Party.

Votes at 16 Private Members Bill

In 2017 he was drawn successfully to present a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons. Together with the Oldham Youth Council he presented the Bill for its Second Reading in November 2017. It aimed to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote, together with civic and democratic education in schools.

Although the Bill was ‘talked out’ it cemented the support of the Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Plaid and Green benches and led to the establishment of its All Party Parliamentary Group.

He was named the British Youth Council Youth Voice Champion for his work on the Bill in 2017.

Annie Kenney Memorial Statue

Jim has always been proactive in leading local projects, securing funding as a local councillor for the installation for the Ben Brierley memorial, a cenotaph refurbishment, and many other projects, and he was keen to continue this as a Member of Parliament.

In 2016 work began on fundraising and education for Annie Kenney (b.1879 – d.1953), the working class suffragette born in the present day Oldham borough.

Sculpture artist Denise Dutton was called on to create the statue, having previously worked with Jim to realise the Ben Brierley memorial at Failsworth Pole.

Over two years a range of fundraising activities were held, supported by talks and performances with local school children retelling the story of Annie Kenney and path to democracy. Artist Stanley Chow created a limited edition print of Annie, with contributions funding the memorial.

On 14 December 2018, working in partnership with Oldham Council, the ambition was realised as a crowd of over 500 people gathered for the unveiling by Maxine Peake, Julie Hesmondhalgh, descendants of Annie Kenney, and many regional trade unions. The event was supported by performers from Oldham Theatre Workshop and young people from St. Thomas’ Primary School, Lees.

Shadow Cabinet

On the election of Keir Starmer as Leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 Jim was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet where he served up to September 2023.

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Between 2019-2021 he served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.

During this time he highlighted the risk of frontline workers being disproportionately affected by Covid-19, and supported transport industries including bus, light rail, rail and aviation through the impact of reduced operations.

During the same period he supported frontline workers in the British Airways ‘fire and re-hire’ challenge.

After the pandemic he turned his attention to the scandal of Smart Motorways, which at the time accounted for 28 deaths. With the significant work of long-standing campaigners the government were forced to halt the roll out of Smart Motorways.

As the impact of the pandemic hit he highlighted the impact of supply chain disruption and increased costs caused by the HGV driver crisis.

As a long-standing champion for bus reform he pushed for public ownership and regulation. He also used the platform to support calls for new rail investment proposed for the North of England.

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Between 2021 & 2023 he served as the Shadow Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Drawing on his grassroots experience prior to becoming an MP. Within weeks of taking office the North of England and Scotland was devastated by Storm Arwen with homes left without power for weeks. On a meeting local residents in Durham it was clear they felt ignored and powerless. He was determined to ensure rural and coastal communities had a voice across all aspects of politics and policy.

In this role he has focused on farming and food during the cost of living crisis, and the impact of post Brexit regulations and trade deals on British producers.

He used his 2022 conference speech to set out Labour’s plan for the reform of the water industry to ‘end the sewage scandal turning England into an open sewer.’ This followed a campaign across the country with visits taking place from Cumbria to Cornwall.

Jim McMahon MP visiting volunteers at the River Kent, Cumbria

In the same speech he set out his vision for widening access to nature and the environment, building on Labours legacy of national parks, and committing to new protections for coastal communities.

In addition he lead Labours approach to food security.

Shadow Minister for Local Government & English Devolution

In November 2023, Jim joined Deputy Leader of the Labour Party & Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, Angela Rayner and her team as Shadow Minister for Local Government & English Devolution.

Jim has an abundance of experience in the local government and devolution sector, with his past experience as a Cllr and Leader of Oldham Council providing the tools to succeed in this role.

In Government

Minister of State for Local Government & English Devolution

After Labour’s victory in the July 2024 UK General Election, where the party came back to government after 14 years in opposition, Jim was appointed as a Minister of State for Local Government & English Devolution in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In this role, Jim worked with colleagues in local government, elected metro mayors, and others to deliver ambitious plans for devolution and growth which is felt by every community in every region.

He introduced the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill, the biggest set of reforms to English local government in a generation which included a new community right-to-buy, more powers to our regions through devolution by default, and measures to fix the local government audit system.

He left government in the September 2025 reshuffle.

Other roles

Jim has previously served as a Vice President of the Local Government Association, Hon Vice President of the Co-operative Council Innovation Network, and Patron of Oldham Cancer Support.