# Matt Turmaine

Matthew Robert Turmaine (born 1969) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Watford since the 2024 general election. He was previously the Watford Borough Councillor for Holywell ward from 2012 until 2025.

## Early life and education

Turmaine was born in 1969 at Amersham Hospital in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. His father was a compositor and his mother was a dressmaker. Turmaine attended St Clement Danes School in Chorleywood and spent much of his childhood in Watford, before moving there permanently in 2011. In his 20s, he travelled around the United States, where he visited almost every state and slept rough in Los Angeles. He graduated with a degree in economics and modern history from the University of Birmingham.

## Political career

Turmaine joined the Labour Party in 2004, whilst living in London. He ran as the Labour Party candidate for one of the three Fulham Reach seats on the Hammersmith and Fulham Council in the 2006 election, where he received 1,207 votes and finished sixth out of eight candidates. In the 2010 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election, Turmaine stood as the Labour candidate for one of the three North End seats, receiving 1,679 votes and finishing sixth out of nine candidates. After moving to Watford in 2011, he stood as the Labour candidate for Holywell ward in the 2012 Watford Borough Council election, where he gained the seat from the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 710 votes. In the 2015 general election, Turmaine was selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford, a historical Bellwether seat, where he finished in second place below the incumbent Richard Harrington of the Conservative Party. In both the 2016 and 2018 council elections, he retained his Holywell seat with an increased majority.
In the 2019 general election, Turmaine was selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for his home seat of Chesham and Amersham, where he finished third below the Liberal Democrat candidate and the Conservative incumbent Cheryl Gillan. He then held his Holywell seat in the 2022 council election with a reduced majority. In July 2022, Turmaine was again selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford. Throughout the 2024 election campaign, Turmaine pledged to reduce the tax burden on Watford families and waiting times at Watford General Hospital as well as recruiting more teachers to Watford schools, in line with the Labour Party manifesto. He was elected as the MP for Watford in the 2024 general election, defeating the Conservative incumbent Dean Russell with a majority of 4,723 votes. In his victory speech, Turmaine thanked the people of Watford for putting their trust in him.

## Personal life

Turmaine and his wife Jeanette have two children. He is a member of the Unison trade union. Turmaine is a member of the LGBT+ community. Before his election to Parliament, he worked in health and social care for Hertfordshire County Council. He had also previously worked in public relations for the BBC from November 1998 to January 2002. Turmaine supports Watford FC.

## Electoral performance
### House of Commons

General election 2024: Watford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 15,708 | 35.3 | –4.0 |
| | Conservative | Dean Russell | 10,985 | 24.7 | –17.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Stotesbury | 7,577 | 17.0 | –0.7 |
| | Reform UK | Gary Ling | 4,930 | 11.1 | New |
| | Workers Party | Khalid Mahmood Chohan | 2,659 | 6.0 | New |
| | Green | Arran Bowen-la Grange | 2,428 | 5.5 | +5.2 |
| | Heritage | Sarah Knott | 168 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,723 | 10.62 | +3.02 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,455 | 61.0% | –7.50 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 2019: Chesham and Amersham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cheryl Gillan | 30,850 | 55.4 | –5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dan Gallagher | 14,627 | 26.3 | +13.3 |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 7,166 | 12.9 | –7.7 |
| | Green | Alan Booth | 3,042 | 5.5 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,223 | 29.1 | –11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,685 | 76.8 | –0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 2015: Watford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Harrington | 24,400 | 43.5 | +8.6 |
| | Labour | Matthew Turmaine | 14,606 | 26.0 | –0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dorothy Thornhill | 10,152 | 18.1 | –14.3 |
| | UKIP | Nick Lincoln | 5,481 | 9.8 | +7.6 |
| | Green | Aidan Cottrell-Boyce | 1,332 | 2.4 | +0.8 |
| | TUSC | Mark O'Connor | 178 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,794 | 17.5 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,149 | 66.6 | –1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 | |

### Watford Borough Council

2022 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Matt Turmaine | 949 | 53.2 | –12.4 |
| | Conservative | Sanjaya Pant | 426 | 23.9 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Penelope Hill | 360 | 20.2 | –0.2 |
| | TUSC | Mark O'Conner | 49 | 2.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 29.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,784 | 27.4 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | –11.1 | |
2018 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 1,402 | 65.61 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Syed Kazmi | 436 | 20.40 |
| | Conservative | Yasmin Goldsmith | 299 | 13.99 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 966 | 45.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2137 | 33.38 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
2016 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Nigel Bell | 1,200 | |
| | Labour | Jackie Connal | 924 | |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 917 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simonie Rose Jeffree | 210 | |
| | Conservative | Penelope Anne Mortimer | 208 | |
| | UKIP | Gavin Stephen Smith | 199 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frances Kershaw | 184 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Qaiser Mahmood | 172 | |
| | Conservative | Prasi Bhatt | 144 | |
| | Conservative | Camilla Zaman Khawaja | 134 | |
| | Green | Rhiannon Emma Louise Grant | 133 | |
| | Green | Jim Grant | 108 | |
| | Green | Anne Simpson | 72 | |
| | TUSC | Clive Jones | 39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 26.15 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
2012 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 1,016 | 62.9 | –5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Umar | 306 | 19.0 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Neil John Punter | 165 | 10.2 | –1.5 |
| | Green | Nigel Anthony Filer | 127 | 7.9 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 710 | 42.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1614 | 26.15 | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |

### Hammersmith and Fulham Council

2010 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election: North End ward (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Georgie Cooney | 2,125 |
| | Labour | Daryl Brown | 1,987 |
| | Conservative | Tom Crofts | 1,979 |
| | Conservative | Caroline R. Ffiske | 1,842 |
| | Labour | Max Schmid | 1,697 |
| | Labour | Matt Turmaine | 1,679 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Falkner | 998 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patrick C. Mcveigh | 810 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Meher Oliaji | 774 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
2006 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election: Fulham Reach ward (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Gavin Donovan | 1,683 | |
| | Conservative | Paul Bristow | 1,635 | |
| | Conservative | Andrew Johnson | 1,573 | |
| | Labour | Stephen B. Burke | 1,284 | |
| | Labour | Oliver P. Cardigan | 1,222 | |
| | Labour | Matthew R. Turmaine | 1,207 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth M. Stephens | 407 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marytka K. Jablkowska | 341 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 44.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |