General Election 2024: Care Review chair Josh MacAlister elected as Labour MP
Fiona Simpson
Friday, July 5, 2024
Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Josh MacAlister has been elected as a Labour MP as the party celebrates a landslide general election victory.
MacAlister, who chaired the year-long review published in 2022, took the Whitehaven and Workington seat with 53% of the votes.
His new constituency is one of five seats in Cumbria lost by the Conservatives in the Labour Party’s landslide election win.
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Interview: Josh MacAlister, Care Review chair
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Care Review: key proposals for the children’s services workforce
In his final report to government in 2022, MacAlister made more than 80 recommendations, many of which were taken forward by ministers in the Conservative government’s report Stable Homes Built on Love.
Key recommendations made by MacAlister centred on plans to keep families together when possible in a bid to reduce the numbers of children entering care and implement a shift away from crisis intervention to early help across the children’s social care system.
MacAlister was chair of Foundations, which formed from the merger of What Works for Children’s Social Care and the Early Intervention Foundation but stepped down ahead of the election campaign.
He was congratulated on his win by leaders in the children and young people's sector with chief executive of TACT Fostering Andy Elvin writing on X: "Great news, congratulations." He added that MacAlister taking a ministerial position at the Department for Education would be "be an obvious first step" to improve standards of children's social care.
Sarah Anderson, chair of FosterWiki, asked if MacAlister would be the "next children's minister". She wrote on X: "Whoever it is we will ask them to recognise the workforce that underpins foster care equally and inclusively."
Congratulations to @JoshMacAlister 👏
— Sarah Anderson, founder FosterWiki.com (@SarahJAnderson) July 5, 2024
Next Children's Minister?
Whoever it is we will ask them to recognise the workforce that underpins foster care equally and inclusively
Our representation matters, our input can change foster care.https://t.co/RKtYKV6H5S pic.twitter.com/afDzO89Tax
Angela Frazer-Wicks, chair of the Family Rights Groups described his win as "fantastic news".
Elsewhere, former shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson held her seat in Houghton and Sunderland South and is tipped to take on the frontbench education brief.
A massive thank you to the people of Houghton & Sunderland South. However you voted, I will fight every day for you.
— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) July 5, 2024
The people of Britain have voted for change and for the leadership of Keir Starmer.
Our country with its proud history has chosen a brighter future. pic.twitter.com/mUTRZteGaS
Former Conservative MP and schools minister Nick Gibb wrote in an article for TES Magazine: “Bridget Phillipson is now likely to have the best job in government as education secretary. I’m delighted for her personally.
“I know that she is driven by a total commitment to improving opportunities for young people and I wish her and her ministers nothing but great success.”
In its campaign manifesto, the Labour Party has pledged to reform the education system by investing £450mn in 6,500 new expert teachers - funded by ending tax breaks for private schools and improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
The party has also pledged to create 3,000 new nurseries in existing primary schools.
Elsewhere, shadow minister for children and early years Helen Hayes has held her south London seat of East Dulwich and West Norwood.
Meanwhile, Thangam Debbonaire, former shadow secretary for culture media and sport lost her seat to Green Party co-chair Carla Denyer who won with 24,539 votes to 14,132 votes. Debbonaire had been MP for Bristol West since 2010 – the constituency was renamed Bristol Central in recent boundary changes.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper held her Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley seat.
Cooper announced Labour’s £95mn Young Futures pledge which would see a network of youth services hubs created in every community in a bid to reduce levels of crime among young people.
Labour has also pledged to create local prevention partnerships to identify young people who could be drawn into violence and intervene with youth workers and mentors in A&E units and Pupil Referral Units. This would be funded by a full recovery of the cost of firearm licensing, Keir Starmer’s party has said.
Its manifesto also advocates for giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote.
Shaun Davies has stepped down as chair of the Local Government Association after being elected as MP for Telford – a seat previously held by the Conservatives.
Meanwhile, key Conservative figures, Gillian Keegan and David Johnston, who held senior positions in the Department for Education have lost their seats.
