Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield to stand down from Parliament at next general election

Mr Blomfield has been MP for the constituency since he replaced Richard Caborn in 2010, but says he will not be seeking reselection as the Labour Candidate.

It means he will leave the role before the end of 2024.

Mr Blomfield said: “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to represent the city that’s been home for most of my life since arriving here at the age of nine.

"I’m so grateful for the support I’ve had from constituents and for the opportunity to work with so many brilliant individuals and groups across the city. It’s been a difficult decision but I’ll be 70 next year and for me the next election feels the right time to step down.”

Mr Blomfield was first elected in 2010 replacing Richard Caborn who had served as MP for Sheffield Central for 27 years. Changes to the constituency boundaries led to a closely fought contest with the then Liberal Democrat Council leader Paul Scriven. His election was secured, after a recount, by a margin of just 165 votes, increasing in three subsequent elections to 27,273, which is now the largest Labour majority in Yorkshire.

He launched the ‘Fair Deal for Sheffield’ campaign in 2013 and has continued to press for local investment, arguing with Ministers to secure equivalent funding to that previously provided by the EU, and recently highlighting the £2.1 billion taken from the City Council since 2010.

After the problems with payday lenders was raised by constituents, he introduced a ‘High Cost Credit Bill’ into Parliament and launched a ‘Charter to Stop the Payday Loan Rip-off’, winning support from MPs of all parties in Westminster and organisations from Citizens Advice to the Women’s Institute, with many of its demands being adopted by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Representing both Sheffield’s universities, he has taken up many further and higher education issues. He established an All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Students with CBI President Lord Karan Bilimoria and worked with former Universities Minister Jo Johnson to win policies to strengthen recruitment. He also set up an All-Party Group to provide students with a voice in Parliament and is Secretary of the All-Party Universities Group.

After serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Shadow Foreign Minister Hilary Benn, and campaigning to remain in the European Union, he was appointed as a Shadow Brexit Minister working alongside Keir Starmer for four and a half years. In that role he proposed amendments to Boris Johnson’s final agreement to limit economic impact of withdrawal and secure a closer relationship with our European neighbours. He is now a member of the UK Trade and Business Commission.

He has celebrated Sheffield’s diversity and championed the city’s role as the country’s first City of Sanctuary. In Parliament he was Chair of the All-Party Migration Group and part of Labour’s team challenging the 2016 and 2019 Immigration Bills as well as the current Nationality and Borders Bill. He has led a Parliamentary campaign against indefinite immigration detention and has successfully prevented deportation of vulnerable constituents.