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Matt Turmaine

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Matt Turmaine
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Watford
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byDean Russell
Majority4,723 (10.62%)
Watford Borough Councillor
for Holywell
In office
7 May 2012 – 4 July 2024
Personal details
Born
Matthew Robert Turmaine

1969 (age 54–55)
Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
Political partyLabour
Other political
affiliations		Labour and Co-operative (2022–2024)

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.[1] He was previously the Watford Borough Councillor for Holywell ward from 2012 until his election to Parliament.[2]

Early and personal life

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Turmaine was born in 1969 at Amersham Hospital in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.[1][3][4] Before his election to Parliament, he worked in health and social care. He had also previously worked in public relations for the BBC from November 1998 to January 2002.[5][6][7] Turmaine is a member of the Unison trade union.[8]

Political career

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Turmaine joined the Labour Party in 2004, whilst living in London.[7] After moving to Watford in 2011, he stood as the Labour Party 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.[9] 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.[10] In both the 2016 and 2018 council elections, he retained his Holywell seat with an increased majority.[11][12]

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.[13] He then held his Holywell seat in the 2022 council election with a reduced majority.[14] In July 2022, Turmaine was again selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford.[7] 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.[15] 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.[1] In his victory speech, Turmaine thanked the people of Watford for putting their trust in him.[16]

Personal life

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Turmaine is LGBT+.[17]

Electoral performance

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House of Commons

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General election 2024: Watford[1]
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 4,723 10.62 +3.02
Turnout 44,455 61.0% –7.50
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 2019: Chesham and Amersham[13]
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 16,223 29.1 –11.0
Turnout 55,685 76.8 –0.3
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2015: Watford[10]
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 9,794 17.5 +15.0
Turnout 56,149 66.6 –1.7
Conservative hold Swing +4.6

Watford Borough Council

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2022 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward[14]
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 523 29.3 N/A
Turnout 1,784 27.4
Labour Co-op hold Swing –11.1
2018 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Matt Turmaine 1,402 65.61
Liberal Democrats Syed Kazmi 436 20.40
Conservative Yasmin Goldsmith 299 13.99
Majority 966 45.21
Turnout 2137 33.38
Labour hold Swing
2016 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward (3 seats)[11]
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 26.15
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
2012 Watford Borough Council election: Holywell ward[9]
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 710 42.9
Turnout 1614 26.15
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Declaration of Result of Poll". Watford Borough Council. 5 July 2024. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Matt Turmaine". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  3. ^ "TURMAINE, Matthew Robert birth registration record". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  4. ^ Joy, Matt (11 November 2019). "'The current system is failing nearly everyone' - Chesham and Amersham Labour candidate unveiled". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  5. ^ Garside, Juliette (12 March 1999). "STOP PRESS: Turmaine to head BBC new media PR". PRWeek. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  6. ^ "BBC dissolves top PR job in internet division reshuffle". PRWeek. 11 January 2002. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Matt Turmaine has been selected as Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Watford". Watford Constituency Labour Party. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  8. ^ Issimdar, Mariam (7 July 2024). "Who are the MPs representing Hertfordshire?". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "2012 Watford Borough Ward election". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Election for the constituency of Watford on 7 May 2015". UK Parliament. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b "2016 Watford Borough Ward election". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b "2018 Watford Borough Ward election". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Election for the constituency of Chesham and Amersham on 12 December 2019". UK Parliament. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b "2022 Watford Borough Ward election". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  15. ^ Turmaine, Matt (26 May 2024). "'Watford wants change' claims Labour general election candidate". Watford Observer. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  16. ^ McGuinness, Fintan (5 July 2024). "Labour candidate Matt Turmaine voted in as Watford MP". Watford Observer. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  17. ^ Soaper, Lily (17 October 2022). "Campaign Session in Watford". LGBT+ Labour. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Watford
2024–present 		Incumbent
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