19 Facts About Ian Mearns

James Ian Mearns was born on 21 April 1957 and is a British Labour Party politician.

Ian Mearns served as the Member of Parliament for Gateshead from 2010 to 2024.

Ian Mearns was a member of and latterly Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus.

Ian Mearns grew up supporting Newcastle United FC, and has been a fan of the club for over 50 years.

Ian Mearns helped run and Chaired the Gateshead FC Supporters club in the 1990s.

Ian Mearns ceased being a supporter of the group before becoming a Gateshead Councillor in 1983, serving as a Councillor for the Saltwell ward until 2010.

Ian Mearns was elected to Parliament in 2010 with a majority of 12,549, in a Gateshead seat created by boundary changes.

Ian Mearns 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.

Ian Mearns served on the Education Select Committee continuously from 2010 until his retirement and was the lead Labour member on that committee for several years.

Ian Mearns was a member of the bill committee for HS2, which he has criticised for treating residents of the north east and other regions not served by the line as "lesser citizens".

In March 2013, Ian Mearns resigned as PPS to Ivan Lewis to defy the Labour whip and vote against the Jobseekers Bill which retroactively changed DWP rules relating to Workfare in the United Kingdom.

On 24 February 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mearns was one of 11 Labour MPs threatened with losing the party whip after they signed a statement by the Stop the War Coalition which questioned the legitimacy of NATO and accused the military alliance of "eastward expansion".

Ian Mearns was named on a list of Parliamentarians sanctioned by the Russian government, which he regarded as a badge of honour.

Ian Mearns was elected to chair the RMT Parliamentary Group from 2015 to 2024 and the BFAWU Parliamentary Group from 2015 to 2024.

Ian Mearns was co Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs until 2024.

Ian Mearns helped establish and Chaired the All Party Parliamentary Groups For Housing in the North and another for Football Fans.

Ian Mearns Chaired APPGs for Rail in the North, for Foster Care workers and for Parental Involvement in children's education.

Ian Mearns was honoured to receive the RMT's Gold medal for services to the union at their conference in Hull in June 2024.

In December 2023, Ian Mearns informed his constituency party that he would step down at the 2024 general election, after 41 years of service as an elected representative.