John Cryer

The Right Honourable
The Lord Cryer
The Right Honourable The Lord Cryer
	Official portrait, 2019
Lord-in-Waiting; Government Whip
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 8 October 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Member of the House of Lords; Lord Temporal
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 15 August 2024; Life peerage
Member of Parliament; forLeyton and Wanstead
	In office; 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Harry Cohen
Succeeded by	Calvin Bailey
Member of Parliament; forHornchurch
	In office; 1 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded by	Robin Squire
Succeeded by	James Brokenshire
Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party
	In office; 9 February 2015 – 30 May 2024
Leader	Ed Miliband; Jeremy Corbyn; Keir Starmer;
Preceded by	David Watts
Succeeded by	Jessica Morden
Personal details
Born	John Robert Cryer; 11 April 1964(age 60); Darwen,Lancashire, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Ellie Reeves (m.2012)
Parents	Bob Cryer(father); Ann Cryer(mother);
Alma mater	Hatfield Polytechnic; London College of Printing;
Website	www.johncryermp.co.uk

John Robert Cryer, Baron Cryer(born 11 April 1964), is a British politician. A member of theLabour Party,he was previously theMember of Parliament(MP) forHornchurchfrom 1997 to 2005 and the MP forLeyton and Wansteadfrom 2010 to 2024. Cryer wasChair of the Parliamentary Labour Partyfrom 2015 to 2024, and has been alord-in-waitingin theHouse of Lordssince 2024.

Early life and career

John Robert Cryer was born on 11 April 1964 toBob CryerandAnn Cryer(néePlace). Both of his parents wereLabour Partymembers of Parliament,^[1]and Cryer served alongside his mother in the Commons from 1997 to 2005. As a child, he appeared in the 1970 filmThe Railway Children.

A journalist by profession, Cryer was educated atOakbank School, Keighley,Hatfield Polytechnic,and theLondon College of Printing.^[2]He has worked forTribune,theMorning Star,theAssociated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen(ASLEF), and theTransport and General Workers' Union(nowUnite).

Political career

Cryer was on the left wing of theLabour Partyand was a member of theSocialist Campaign Groupuntil he resigned from the group in 2015. He has subsequently moved to the right of the party, supportingKeir Starmer'scentristleadership.^[3]^[4]

Cryer describes himself as aEurosceptic,and was one of only a small number of Labour MPs who campaigned and voted for the UK toleavetheEuropean Unionin the2016 referendum.^[5]He consistently opposed holding asecond referendum on EU membership.^[6]

As Member of Parliament forHornchurch,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 theBlair government) and against theIraq War.^{[citation needed]}He lost thismarginal seatin 2005, before being selected to succeedHarry Cohenin Leyton and Wanstead, asafeLabour seat; he comfortably retained it for the party at the2010 general election.^[7]

Cryer was one of 16 signatories of an open letter toEd Milibandin 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 succeedDave Wattsas theChair of the Parliamentary Labour Party.^[3]

On8 May 2015,Cryer was re-elected as MP for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency with 58.6% of the vote. On8 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 BBCPanoramaprogramme"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 the2024 general election.^[11]

Peerage

After standing down as an MP, Cryer was nominated for alife peeragein the2024 Dissolution Honours.^[12]^[13]^[14]He was createdBaron Cryer,of Leyton in the London Borough of Waltham Forest,on 15 August 2024.^[15]

Personal life

Cryer's second wife isEllie Reeves,the Labour MP forLewisham West and Penge– whose sister isRachel Reeves,also a Labour MP andChancellor of the Exchequersince 2024.^[16]They have two sons, born in 2015 and 2019.

References

^"MP For The Keighley Constituency Ann Cryer".Ilkley.org – Wharfedale's Community on the Web.Wharfedale Online Trust. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved28 June2009.
^Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1997
^^a ^b"John Cryer Is The New Chair Of The PLP".LabourList.9 February 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 10 February 2015.Retrieved10 February2015.
^"So how did a left-winger get to be chair of the parliamentary Labour party?".Left Futures.February 2015.Retrieved6 August2020.
^"EU REFERENDUM – JOHN CRYER MP".johncryermp.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2017.Retrieved17 October2017.
^"EU REFERENDUM | JOHN CRYER MP".johncryermp.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2019.Retrieved15 November2019.
^"Election 2010: Leyton and Wanstead".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2017.Retrieved7 May2010.
^Eaton, George (26 January 2015)."The Labour left demand a change of direction – why their intervention matters".New Statesman.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2015.Retrieved5 April2015.
^"Leyton and Wanstead".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2015.Retrieved9 May2015.
^Mason, Rowena; Elgot, Jessica (15 July 2019)."Corbyn under fire from staff and Labour peers over antisemitism".The Guardian.London. Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2019.
^"John Cryer standing down as MP for Leyton and Wanstead".Waltham Forest Echo.London. 27 May 2024.
^"No. 64480".The London Gazette(Supplement). 7 August 2024. p. 15222.
^"Dissolution Peerages 2024".GOV.UK.Retrieved4 July2024.
^Whannel, Kate (4 July 2024)."Theresa May and 'bionic' MP awarded peerages".BBC News.Retrieved4 July2024.
^"No. 64494".The London Gazette.21 August 2024. p. 16178.
^Greatrex, Jonny (26 August 2012)."MP Tom Watson finds new love after break up of marriage".Birmingham Mail.Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2014.

External links

Official website
ProfileatParliament of the United Kingdom
Contributions in ParliamentatHansard
Contributions in ParliamentatHansard 1803–2005
Voting recordatPublic Whip
Record in ParliamentatTheyWorkForYou
Profile: John Cryer,BBC News,22 October 2002
Leyton & Wanstead Labour Archived3 March 2018 at theWayback Machine

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Robin Squire	Member of Parliament forHornchurch 1997–2005	Succeeded by James Brokenshire
Preceded by Harry Cohen	Member of Parliament forLeyton and Wanstead 2010–2024	Succeeded by Calvin Bailey
Party political offices
Preceded by David Watts	Chair of theParliamentary Labour Party 2015–2024	Succeeded by Jessica Morden
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Beamish	Gentlemen Baron Cryer	Followed by The Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard

[1] "MP For The Keighley Constituency Ann Cryer".Ilkley.org – Wharfedale's Community on the Web.Wharfedale Online Trust. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved28 June2009.

[2] Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1997

[:0-3] "John Cryer Is The New Chair Of The PLP".LabourList.9 February 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 10 February 2015.Retrieved10 February2015.

[4] "So how did a left-winger get to be chair of the parliamentary Labour party?".Left Futures.February 2015.Retrieved6 August2020.

[5] "EU REFERENDUM – JOHN CRYER MP".johncryermp.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2017.Retrieved17 October2017.

[6] "EU REFERENDUM | JOHN CRYER MP".johncryermp.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2019.Retrieved15 November2019.

[7] "Election 2010: Leyton and Wanstead".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2017.Retrieved7 May2010.

[8] Eaton, George (26 January 2015)."The Labour left demand a change of direction – why their intervention matters".New Statesman.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2015.Retrieved5 April2015.

[bbc-2015-9] "Leyton and Wanstead".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2015.Retrieved9 May2015.

[gwhistle-10] Mason, Rowena; Elgot, Jessica (15 July 2019)."Corbyn under fire from staff and Labour peers over antisemitism".The Guardian.London. Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2019.

[standingdown-11] "John Cryer standing down as MP for Leyton and Wanstead".Waltham Forest Echo.London. 27 May 2024.

[12] "No. 64480".The London Gazette(Supplement). 7 August 2024. p. 15222.

[13] "Dissolution Peerages 2024".GOV.UK.Retrieved4 July2024.

[14] Whannel, Kate (4 July 2024)."Theresa May and 'bionic' MP awarded peerages".BBC News.Retrieved4 July2024.

[15] "No. 64494".The London Gazette.21 August 2024. p. 16178.

[16] Greatrex, Jonny (26 August 2012)."MP Tom Watson finds new love after break up of marriage".Birmingham Mail.Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2014.

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