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Ashley Dalton

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Ashley Dalton
MP
Official portrait, 2023
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 February 2025
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byAndrew Gwynne
Member of Parliament
for West Lancashire
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 February 2023
Preceded byRosie Cooper
Majority13,625 (30.8%)
2023–2024Women and Equalities
Personal details
Born (1972-08-15) 15 August 1972 (age 52)
Political partyLabour
Alma materMiddlesex University (BA, DipHE)
Websitewww.ashleydalton.uk

Ruth Ashley Charman Dalton (born 15 August 1972) is a British politician and former community worker who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Lancashire since the 2023 West Lancashire by-election, succeeding Rosie Cooper.[1] A member of the Labour Party, she was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention in 2025.

Early life, education and career

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Ruth Ashley Charman Dalton was born on 15 August 1972.[2][3][4] She was adopted as a baby and raised in Leyland, Lancashire.[5] Her father worked at Leyland Motors, later becoming a nurseryman, and her mother worked for the NHS.[6][7]

She became aware of the Labour Party at the age of 14, when a customer ordered 40 red rose buttonholes for a by-election count from her father's florist's shop, and joined the party while at university.[8]

She attended All Hallows Catholic High School in Penwortham (1983–1988) and Preston College (1989–1991), and obtained a BA in English and politics (1996) and a DipHE in professional development (voluntary sector) (1997) from Middlesex University.[9]

Dalton worked for Southend-on-Sea Council for 17 years,[10] and at the time of her selection she worked part-time for a Lancashire charity.[6]

Political career

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Dalton was Labour's candidate in Rochford and Southend East in the 2017 and 2019 general elections.[10]

She was selected on 9 October 2022 as Labour's candidate in the West Lancashire by-election.[11] The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Rosie Cooper.[12] Dalton was elected MP with 14,068 votes (62.3%).[13]

In her victory speech, Dalton called for a general election and action on the cost of living crisis.[14] She committed to campaign for a children's nighttime accident and emergency service in Ormskirk and a railway station in Skelmersdale.

Dalton took her oath of office on Monday 20 February.[15] She signed an early day motion welcoming the investigation into the 2022 UEFA Champions League final chaos on the same day.[16] She was a guest at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[17]

In the House of Commons she was Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities on the Opposition frontbench of Keir Starmer until July 2024.[18]

Dalton is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.[19]

On 10 February 2025, Dalton was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention in the Department of Health and Social Care.[20] This followed the dismissal of Andrew Gwynne who had held the post from 9 July 2024 to 8 February 2025.[21][22] Shortly after her new appointment, historic tweets were reported. In 2016, Dalton had said that a person self-identifying as a llama "should be taken seriously".[23]

Personal life

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Dalton is a survivor of breast cancer;[24] after surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2014 she had further surgery in 2024.[25] She unsuccessfully sued Southend Hospital for failing to diagnose her with cancer in 2011.[26] She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2025.[27]

She is a parent and a carer.[28] Her ex-husband died of kidney cancer.[29]

She identifies as LGBT,[30][31] and has called herself "a gay woman".[32]

References

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  1. ^ Brown, Faye (10 February 2023). "West Lancashire by-election: Labour hold onto seat". Sky News. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. ^ "List of Members returned to serve in Parliament at the General Election 2024". The London Gazette. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  3. ^ Prince, Rosa (15 August 2023). "Welcome home Rishi Sunak". Politico. Retrieved 10 June 2024. Birthdays: ...West Lancashire MP Ashley Dalton
  4. ^ Haygarth, Dan (12 February 2023). "New MP's journey from charity worker to Westminster". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 10 June 2024. Ms Dalton, 50, ...
  5. ^ Tiffin, Annabel (28 March 2024). "Amid abuse, apathy and mistrust, who would become an MP?". BBC News. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  6. ^ a b Barre, Claire (12 October 2022). "Labour Party's 'surprise' candidate for crunch West Lancashire by-election dubbed 'referendum on fracking'". LancsLive. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  7. ^ Green, Daniel (10 February 2025). "Who is Ashley Dalton, the government's new health minister after Gwynne row?". LabourList. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  8. ^ Bugel, Safi (10 February 2023). "Labour wins West Lancashire byelection with 10% swing". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Ashley Dalton". LinkedIn. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b Neame, Katie (9 February 2023). "Voters head to the polls in West Lancashire to select their next MP". LabourList. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  11. ^ Williams, Olivia (9 October 2022). "Labour candidate announced for West Lancashire by-election". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  12. ^ Smyth, Mairead (5 February 2023). "West Lancashire by-election: Candidates step up battle for votes". BBC News. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  13. ^ Penna, Dominic (10 February 2023). "Labour secures comfortable win in West Lancashire byelection". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  14. ^ The Independent (9 February 2023). "Labour's West Lancashire by-election winner Ashley Dalton takes aim at Tories". YouTube. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  15. ^ Wheeler, Richard. "Labour MPs cheer the arrival of their newest Commons colleague". Irish News. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  16. ^ "2022 Champions League Final and Liverpool Football Club supporters". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  17. ^ Torrance, David (25 October 2023). "House of Commons Library: Research Briefing Number CBP 9789 - The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Ashley Dalton MP, Labour Women's Network Committee". Labour Women's Network. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  19. ^ "LFI Parliamentary Supporters". Labour Friends of Israel. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Ashley Dalton MP". GOV.UK. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Andrew Gwynne: Labour health minister sacked over WhatsApp messages". BBC News. 8 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  22. ^ "Parliamentary career for Andrew Gwynne". members.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  23. ^ "New Labour health minister believes people should be allowed to self-identify as a llama". LBC. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  24. ^ Berrill, Lewis (1 October 2021). "Ashley Dalton calls for improved cancer screening access". Echo. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  25. ^ "Ashley Dalton MP wants to dispel secondary breast cancer myths". BBC News. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  26. ^ "Hospital in the clear after woman claimed £145k for 'missed' cancer diagnosis". Echo. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  27. ^ Musgrove, Catherine (9 January 2025). "I have incurable breast cancer - but it's business as usual for me as West Lancashire MP". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Why I'm Standing". Ashley Dalton for West Lancashire. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  29. ^ Dalton, Ashley [@Ashley__Dalton] (13 May 2022). "My late ex husband ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Dalton, Ashley [@Ashley__Dalton] (7 August 2021). "I'm standing for election ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter. I'm a passionate feminist and LGBT woman
  31. ^ Edwards, Peter (11 December 2017). "LGBT Labour campaigner picked to take on Tory banker in Essex target seat". LabourList. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  32. ^ Bugel, Safi (9 February 2023). "Polls close in West Lancashire byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for West Lancashire
2023– 		Incumbent
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