Jim’s rise written in the stars

Jim McMahon and the entry point to his adopted home of Failsworth

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Reporter ALEX CAREY looks at the political career of Labour’s rising star

OLDHAM West and Royton’s newly-elected MP Jim McMahon has been long tipped as one to watch and last night made the biggest step yet on his political path.

The son of a truck driver, McMahon (35) burst on to the local political scene as a fresh-faced 23 year old after standing for Labour in the Oldham council Failsworth East ward in 2003.

Last night’s by-election saw the eyes of the country on the council leader, as the Labour candidate at the centre of the first by-election under the party’s controversial new leader Jeremy Corbyn

Back in 2003 he was under similar pressures and a major rival was British National Party candidate Charles Styles, who many expected to provide stiff opposition in the wake of the 2001 Oldham riots.

McMahon campaigned tirelessly and won convincingly by nearly 1,500 votes, holding the seat the following May, and remaining a councillor ever since.

The council leader, who left school at 16, had previously been a trolley pusher at the Chi Yip Chinese supermarket in Manchester, an audio technician at Manchester University and town centre manager for Middleton.

Originally from Miles Platting, McMahon moved to Failsworth with his partner Charlene as they expected their first child, son Jack, now 13. They also now have a second son, Harry, who is seven.

In his early years as a councillor McMahon worked with his ward colleagues to improve Failsworth.

He told former Evening Chronicle journalist Martyn Torr in 2012 that some people back then saw him as a troublemaker - but his goal was to make Failsworth a better place in which to raise his young family.

McMahon continued to grow in stature within the council chamber and at 26 became its youngest cabinet member - the senior ruling panel.

Local elections in 2008 humbled Labour as the Lib-Dems took control of the council party, though it was a big night for the young councillor, who found himself the Labour group’s youngest-ever leader at 28.

He told the Chronicle: “I am humbled by the support and my priority is to rebuild the party and the wider Labour party.”

Rebuild he did: three years later Labour regained control of the council and at 30, McMahon became the youngest council leader in the country, intent on changing the face of Oldham for the better.

He has spent the last four and a half years dedicated to Oldham’s regeneration, a leadership that put him on the radar of senior party members nationwide

McMahon created a name for himself and was named Council Leader of the Year last year. He intends not giving up on Oldham as he assumes his new parliamentary role. He expects to become a “regeneration ambassador”, continuing some of the local work he started.

When interviewed in 2012 McMahon professed “no interest” in being an MP: “None whatsoever”.

When he first announced his intention to stand in the by-election, the first question on everyone’s lips was, what had changed his mind?

“I recognise that as a council there’s only so much we can do ourselves. Who is in government does matter. That’s why I think it’s important to have a strong voice representing Oldham down there.”

Even before last night’s result some bookmakers were offering odds of 66/1 for McMahon to take over from Jeremy Corbyn as the next Labour party leader.

But diplomatically, McMahon responded: “I’m going to continue to do what I do to get more resources to Oldham and whether an opportunity comes up in the future, and if that delivers that end I’m trying to get to in Oldham, then I will consider it.”

McMahon is now tipped by many to climb further on the political ladder and at the age of just 35 it would appear a bright future is in store.