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For the American actor, see Jon Cryer.

John Robert Cryer (born 11 April 1964) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Leyton and Wanstead from 2010 to 2024.[1] A member of the Labour Party, he was previously MP for Hornchurch from 1997 to 2005. Cryer has been Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party since 2015.

Early life and career

John Robert Cryer was born on 11 April 1964 to Labour politicians Ann and Bob Cryer. Both of his parents became Members of Parliament,[2] and he served alongside his mother in the Commons from 1997 to 2005. As a child, he appeared in the 1970 film The Railway Children.

A journalist by profession, Cryer was educated at Oakbank School, Keighley, Hatfield Polytechnic and the London College of Printing.[3]

He has worked for Tribune, the Morning Star, ASLEF and the Transport and General Workers' Union (now Unite).

Political career

Cryer was on the left wing of the Labour Party and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group until he resigned from the group in 2015. He has subsequently moved to the right of the party, supporting Keir Starmer's centrist leadership.[4][5]

Cryer describes himself as a Eurosceptic, and was one of only a small number of Labour MPs who campaigned and voted for the UK to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.[6] He consistently opposed holding a second referendum on EU membership.[7]

As Member of Parliament for Hornchurch, Cryer had a record as a rebel. He voted against tuition fees and top-up fees for higher education, against cuts in lone parent benefits (the first major rebellion under the Blair government) and against the Iraq War.[citation needed] He lost this marginal seat in 2005, before being selected to succeed Harry Cohen in Leyton and Wanstead, a safe Labour seat; he comfortably retained it for the party at the 2010 general election.

Cryer was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.[8]

On 9 February 2015, Cryer was elected, unopposed, to succeed Dave Watts as the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party.[4]

On 8 May 2015, Cryer was re-elected as MP for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency with 58.6% of the vote. On 8 June 2017, he was re-elected as MP for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency with 69.8% of the vote.[9]

In July 2019, following the BBC Panorama programme "Is Labour Antisemitic?", Cryer condemned his party's attack on former staff whistleblowers who had appeared in the programme as "a gross misjudgment".[10]

On 27 May 2024, Cryer announced his intention to stand down at the 2024 general election.[11]

Peerage

In the 2024 Dissolution Honours, he was nominated for a life peerage.[12]

Personal life

Cryer's second wife is Ellie Reeves, the Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge, whose sister is Rachel Reeves, also a Labour MP.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Election 2010: Leyton and Wanstead". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  2. ^ "MP For The Keighley Constituency Ann Cryer". Ilkley.org – Wharfedale's Community on the Web. Wharfedale Online Trust. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  3. ^ Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1997
  4. ^ a b "John Cryer Is The New Chair Of The PLP". LabourList. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. ^ "So how did a left-winger get to be chair of the parliamentary Labour party?". Left Futures. February 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  6. ^ "EU REFERENDUM – JOHN CRYER MP". www.johncryermp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ "EU REFERENDUM | JOHN CRYER MP". www.johncryermp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  8. ^ Eaton, George (26 January 2015). "The Labour left demand a change of direction – why their intervention matters". New Statesman. London. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Leyton and Wanstead". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  10. ^ Mason, Rowena; Elgot, Jessica (15 July 2019). "Corbyn under fire from staff and Labour peers over antisemitism". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019.
  11. ^ "John Cryer standing down as MP for Leyton and Wanstead". Waltham Forest Echo. London. 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Dissolution Peerages 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  13. ^ Greatrex, Jonny (26 August 2012). "MP Tom Watson finds new love after break up of marriage". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Hornchurch
1997–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Leyton and Wanstead
2010–2024 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
2015–present 		Incumbent
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