# Conor McGinn

Conor Patrick McGinn (born 31 July 1984) is a British and Irish politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Helens North from 2015 to 2024.

## Early life and education

Conor McGinn was born on 31 July 1984 in Camlough, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and brought up in the nearby village of Bessbrook. The village was highly militarised during The Troubles. His mother was an NHS clerical officer, and his father was a Sinn Féin councillor.
McGinn went to St Paul's High School, Bessbrook. Before going to university, he worked for the African National Congress in South Africa on a fellowship for two months. He studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, but did not initially complete his degree, remaining in London working for a mental health charity for Irish immigrants, Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy, and later for the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas. He later completed his history, politics and Irish studies degree part-time at London Metropolitan University.

## Political career

McGinn was chair of the Young Fabians from 2006 to 2007, and was also vice-chair of Young Labour. He stood to be a councillor on Islington London Borough Council in 2006 and 2010 without success. He has been on the executive of the Fabian Society and until 2012 was chair of the Labour Party Irish Society. In 2011 he represented the socialist societies on the Labour Party National Executive Committee.
He worked as a public affairs and government relations consultant, before becoming an advisor to shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Vernon Coaker in 2011, and continued to work for Coaker when he became shadow defence secretary.

## Parliamentary career

McGinn was elected to Parliament as MP for St Helens North with 57% of the vote and a majority of 17,291.
McGinn supported Andy Burnham's bid for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2015. He nominated Owen Smith in the 2016 leadership election.
In July 2016, he was involved in a Twitter spat with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, in which McGinn claimed that Corbyn "said that he intended to ring my father", a former Sinn Féin councillor. Corbyn's spokesman said the claim was "untrue".
Following the October 2016 Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, and the replacement of Dame Rosie Winterton as Chief Whip, McGinn resigned as a whip.
At the snap 2017 general election, McGinn was re-elected as MP for St Helens North with an increased vote share of 63.7% and an increased majority of 18,406.
McGinn in July 2019 submitted and moved the successful House of Commons amendment to change the law to extend equal marriage for LGBT people to Northern Ireland.
At the 2019 general election, McGinn was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 52.3% and a decreased majority of 12,209.
In February 2020, McGinn supported the campaign for Helen's Law, working with Marie McCourt to successfully introduce a Private Members Bill and getting the Government to commit to introducing tougher penalties for murderers who refuse to reveal the location of their victims' remains.
On 9 April 2020, McGinn was appointed as Shadow Minister for Security. In June 2021, he was appointed as Labour's deputy national campaign coordinator. In December 2021, he was appointed Shadow Minister without Portfolio.
In December 2022 McGinn was suspended by the Labour Party following an unspecified complaint. He left the party in order to withdraw from the process in October 2023, stating that he had done nothing wrong, there had been "no finding of any wrongdoing" and that the process was "flawed, protracted and prejudicial."
On 5 May 2023, McGinn announced he would be standing down at the 2024 general election.

## Personal life

McGinn lives in Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows. He is a Roman Catholic. He married Kate Groucutt around 2009, and has a son and a daughter. McGinn holds both Irish and British citizenship.