Quick Facts
Biography
James Richard Frith (born 23 April 1977) is a British Labour Party politician who is the current MP for the constituency of Bury North. He is a former local councillor in Bury.
Education and career
Frith was educated at Monkton Combe School, Taunton School and Manchester Metropolitan University. He has held a number of positions in both the public and private sectors.
Before being elected to Parliament, he was CEO and Founder of All Together, a social enterprise providing careers education and guidance services to young people to help them get into work.
Political career
Having served three years as a Bury councillor for Elton ward, Frith was elected at the 2017 general election, after standing in 2015 and losing the seat by just 378 votes. He won in 2017 with a majority of 4,375 votes over incumbent Conservative David Nuttall, a 12.5% increase on Labour’s 2015 vote share. The seat had a 5% swing to Labour, bucking the national trend, which saw a 2% swing to Labour overall. He made his maiden speech on 19th July 2017 during the debate on tuition fees.
Family and personal life
First coming to Manchester to study at university in 1996, Frith was enticed by the city’s music scene and, long before entering politics, was performing at venues and festivals across the country, including Glastonbury, as lead singer in rock band Finka and later the Fusileers.
Frith has lived in Bury with his wife Nikki since 2009 and they are raising their three children - Jemima, Henry and Lizzie - in the town, with a fourth on the way. Nikki runs a local small business which started on the market in Ramsbottom.