Current Blackpool South MP – Blackpool Born and Bred

Christopher Paul Webb, born on 26 April 1986 at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, is a British Labour MP for Blackpool South. Raised in a working-class family—his father a postman, his mother a teaching assistant—he attended Layton Primary and St Mary’s High School before going on to study British Politics and Legislative Studies at the University of Hull. While at university, he served on the student union council and led the Hull University Rugby League Club. His first job, at the age of 14, was on a souvenir stall on Blackpool Promenade, a fitting start for someone who would later describe himself as “a child of tourism.” Webb’s political career began as a Manchester City councillor from 2015 to 2018. During a 2016 delegation to the European Parliament, he was caught up in the Brussels terror attacks, an experience that helped shape his views on public safety and international cooperation. He stood as Labour’s candidate for Blackpool North and Cleveleys in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections, coming second each time. In 2018, he became the youngest Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner in the country when appointed in Lancashire. His focus on policing and public safety continued into his parliamentary career.

In 2023, following the resignation of Conservative MP Scott Benton, Webb was selected as Labour’s candidate for Blackpool South. He won the resulting by-election in May 2024 with 58.9% of the vote—the first MP born in the constituency for over 60 years—delivering Labour one of the largest postwar swings from the Conservatives. Just days later, the Prime Minister called a snap general election. Webb retained his seat with a reduced majority but a strong local mandate. His maiden speech, delivered on 24 May 2024, celebrated his deep Blackpool roots and family history, including an ancestor who he claimed once saved the life of Henry VIII. The speech has since been included in How to Write a Parliamentary Speech by Paul Richards. Before entering Parliament, Webb worked extensively on tackling child poverty, a cause that remained central to his early months as an MP. In November 2024, he led a parliamentary debate calling for reforms to infant formula regulations to help struggling families. He secured a government clarification allowing food banks to distribute baby formula and for families to use vouchers to purchase it. In March 2025, he published a detailed report on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children in Blackpool South, based on local testimonies, which he presented to the national Child Poverty Taskforce. He was also among the first Labour MPs to publicly oppose the government’s welfare reforms, warning that they could plunge 50,000 more children into poverty.

Mental health has been another key issue for Webb, who chaired the Blackpool-based charity Counselling in the Community from 2018 until his election. Aware that Blackpool has the highest GP-diagnosed depression rate in England, Webb repeatedly raised mental health in Parliament. He called for more support for local services, not just reliance on private providers to clear NHS backlogs. He paid tribute in the Commons to Blackpool resident Jamie Pearson, who died by suicide while waiting for mental health treatment at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. In January 2025, he was elected Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Mental Health. As a former Deputy PCC, Webb continues to focus on crime prevention. His first parliamentary question addressed knife crime, which had risen dramatically in Blackpool South. He chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Boxing, championing grassroots gyms as tools to steer young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour.

Tourism remains at the heart of his political identity. He has spoken out against sewage dumping by United Utilities, highlighting the threat it poses to Blackpool’s economy, public health, and civic pride. In September 2024, he was elected chair of the Tourism and Hospitality APPG and hosted the Culture Secretary in Blackpool. By March 2025, he was working with 66 coastal MPs to push for better support for seaside towns and advocated for a 12.5% VAT rate for tourism businesses to help them stay competitive. Webb’s commitment to social justice also extends to grassroots charity work. Since 2017, he has volunteered with Blackpool Food Project and his office remains a trusted partner in distributing emergency food parcels. Over the years, he’s raised tens of thousands for charity—running the Great North Run, two London Marathons, and even stepping into the boxing ring in 2019 for Cancer Research. During the 2020 free school meals crisis, he raised over £14,000 in just 72 hours, earning praise from Marcus Rashford and a Local Hero Award in 2021. In 2022, he co-led a humanitarian convoy from Blackpool to Poland, delivering 20 tonnes of aid to Ukrainian refugees.

Webb is married to Portia Webb, a Labour councillor in Blackpool, and they welcomed their first child in 2024. Diagnosed with dyslexia at university, he has spoken openly about his educational journey, using it to advocate for better support for neurodiverse students. Grounded in lived experience, committed to public service, and deeply connected to his hometown, Chris Webb has become a distinctive voice in Parliament, speaking up for communities too often left behind.