Jamie Reed

Reed was born in Whitehaven. He attended Whitehaven School and Manchester Metropolitan University. Before his election to Parliament, he worked as a Press Officer at Sellafield, a nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear decommissioning site in his constituency, and had served on Copeland Borough Council.

In his maiden speech Reed declared himself to be a Jedi in the debate over the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill under consideration in Parliament. His comment was intended to be taken ironically and raise the issue of how the Bill would define what was and was not a religion.

Jamie Reed has also referred to himself as a "good Methodist" in parliamentary debate:

As a good Methodist, I shall refuse the opportunity to bet. My hon. friend mentioned the economic estimates done by a German economist on the amount of money spent on nuclear technology and nuclear research and development. Are we talking principally about the civil nuclear sector? Is the military nuclear sector also included? He also mentioned the IAEA. It does not exist to promote the nuclear industry; it exists to give it some kind of international regulatory framework.[1]

He previously served on the frontbench as a Shadow Environment Minister, and as a Shadow Health Minister under Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham. He also spoke out to assist his party leader Ed Miliband, who declared he felt "respect" on seeing a white van, following Emily Thornberry's "White Van Gate" tweet during the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election campaign,[2] stating during PMQs: "When I see a white van, I wonder whether it's my father or my brother who is driving".[3]

On 12 September 2015, one minute into Jeremy Corbyn's acceptance speech as leader of the Labour Party, he publicly resigned as shadow Health Minister giving as his reason Corbyn's opposition to nuclear energy.[4] During a House of Commons debate on the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, which Corbyn personally opposes, he described the Labour leader as "reckless, juvenile and narcissistic".[5] He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election.[6]

He announced on 21 December 2016 that he would be resigning his seat at the end of January 2017 in order to take up a new role as Head of Development and Community Relations for Sellafield Ltd, triggering a by-election,[7][8] which was won by Conservative MP Trudy Harrison.[9] Reed formally resigned by taking the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead on 23 January 2017.[10]

• Official website
• The Guardian – Jamie Reed: Electoral history and profile
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou