Chris Williamson (politician)
Christopher Williamson (born 16 September 1956) is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North from 2010 to 2015 and again from 2017 to 2019. He was Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from October 2010 to October 2013. Williamson was previously a local councillor in Derby, representing the Normanton ward from 1991 until 2011 and serving twice as leader of Derby City Council.
Chris Williamson | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Deputy Leader of the Workers Party of Britain | |
| Assumed office 13 December 2023 Serving with Andy Hudd and Peter Ford | |
| Leader | George Galloway |
| Preceded by | Joti Brar |
| Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services | |
| In office 3 July 2017 – 11 January 2018 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Karen Lee |
| Member of Parliament for Derby North | |
| In office 8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Solloway |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Laxton |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Williamson 16 September 1956 Derby, Derbyshire, England |
| Political party | Workers Party of Britain (since 2023) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse |
Lonny Wilsoncroft
(m. 1997; died 2004) |
| Domestic partner | Maggie Amsbury |
| Alma mater | Leicester Polytechnic |
In February 2019, Williamson was notified of a formal investigation and later suspended from the Labour Party for his comments about the party's response to criticism over its handling of allegations of antisemitism within the party. After an investigation, Williamson was reinstated in June 2019 with a formal warning but was resuspended two days later when the party decided to review the disciplinary decision. In October 2019, Williamson won a High Court challenge to the legality of the review of the disciplinary decision but similar charges had been made on 3 September 2019, involving a further suspension; the High Court ruled the Labour Party's disciplinary procedure with regard to these charges should run its course. In November that year, Labour's National Executive Committee blocked Williamson from standing as a Labour candidate in the 2019 general election. He resigned from the Labour Party and stood as an Independent, losing the seat and his deposit.
Williamson currently hosts the programme Palestine Declassified on the Iranian government-owned TV channel PressTV. He has confirmed his intention to stand in the Derby South constituency as the Worker's Party candidate at the next general election.