Read about Andy McDonald MP net worth, age, wife, children, height, family, parents, salary and Party as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Andy McDonald is a prominent British politician and solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough since 2012. A member of the Labour Party, he has sat as an independent MP since 2023 after being suspended from the party whip because of antisemitic comments he made at a pro-Palestinian rally. He served as Shadow Employment Secretary in Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet from 2020 until his resignation in 2021. Previously, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport in Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet from 2016 to 2020.
Early life
| Name | Andy McDonald |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Occupation | MP |
| Age | 65 years |
| Height | 1.75m |
Andrew Joseph McDonald was born on March 8, 1958 (age 65 years) in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. He was educated at a number of local schools, including St. Francis Primary School, St. Edward’s Primary School and St. George’s Secondary School (which later became Trinity Catholic College, Middlesbrough).
McDonald attended St. Mary’s Sixth Form College before studying for a degree in law at Leeds Polytechnic. Following the completion of his law degree, McDonald worked as a solicitor for over 25 years. He was a senior solicitor at the Middlesbrough office of Thompson’s Solicitors and led the firm’s Serious Injury Unit for the Cumbria, Humberside, North East and Yorkshire areas.
He was also the firm’s Head of Military Claims for members of the British Armed Forces. Whilst working for the firm, McDonald acted as an adviser to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee for its 2003 report on Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation. He has also served as both Chair and as Secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers’ Military Special Interest Group, and was a founder member of The Royal British Legion’s Solicitors Group.
Andy McDonald was active in local politics in Middlesbrough for many years. He served as a Labour councilor for Westbourne ward from 1995 to 1999. At the time of his selection as a parliamentary candidate, he was chairman of the Middlesbrough Labour Party Local Government Committee. Labour shortlisted McDonald as a potential candidate for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the 2010 United Kingdom general election. However, Tom Blenkinsop was the eventual choice.
Parliamentary career
Andy McDonald became a parliamentarian when he won the Middlesbrough by-election held on 29 November 2012, retaining the seat for Labour following the death of Sir Stuart Bell. McDonald increased the party’s share of the vote to 60.5%, though his majority was reduced by 500 to 8,211.
McDonald has campaigned against the “Bedroom Tax” (part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012) since his election to Parliament, and in favor of nationalization of the East Coast Main Line franchise, arguing that the Scotland-London railway had been the only one in the country “which comes close to paying for itself” and that journey numbers, revenue and customer satisfaction had grown since nationalization in 2009.
In February 2013, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Attorney General. Following Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet reshuffle in October 2013, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chuka Umunna, in Umunna’s role as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
In January 2016, McDonald was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet to replace Jonathan Reynolds, who resigned as Shadow Minister for Rail in protest after Corbyn sacked Pat McFadden. In June 2016, he was promoted to Shadow Transport Secretary during Corbyn’s post-Brexit Shadow Cabinet reshuffle. In his time as Shadow Transport Secretary, McDonald oversaw the development of Labour’s policy to nationalize the railways.
On the 25th anniversary of the privatization of the railways, McDonald said privatization had failed since the taxpayer was “putting in even more money to the privatized system than when it was nationalized”, and that nationalization would allow a Labour government to cap fares and run the railways in the interest of passengers. In March 2018, McDonald was accused of comparing the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust by Karen Pollock, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
In April 2020, incoming leader Keir Starmer moved McDonald to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections. McDonald was the chair of Labour’s “Power in the Workplace Taskforce” which provided input into Labour’s Employment Rights’ Green Paper published in September 2021. The paper stated that “Labour is demanding that the minimum wage is immediately raised to at least £10 per hour for all workers”.
In September 2021, McDonald resigned as Shadow Secretary, citing a lack of support from Starmer for an increase in the minimum wage to £15 per hour. He said he had been instructed by Starmer’s office to argue at the Labour Party Conference “against a national minimum wage of £15 an hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage”.
In April 2023, using parliamentary privilege when speaking in the House of Commons, McDonald alleged “shocking, industrial-scale corruption” surrounding the ongoing Teesworks free port development near Redcar. Prior to this, the alleged corruption had been reported in Private Eye. McDonald’s comments led to a high-profile row with the Conservative Party Tees Valley metro mayor, Ben Houchen, who had significant involvement with the project.
Following McDonald’s comments, Lisa Nandy, the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, called for an independent inquiry by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Teesworks development. The government refused the request for an independent inquiry by the NAO, instead deciding to appoint a government-chosen panel to investigate the allegations. In June 2023, McDonald condemned the government’s proposal to house 1,500 asylum seekers on a barge, possibly in Middlesbrough.
In October 2023, McDonald lost the Labour whip for giving a speech at a pro-Palestine rally in October 2023. Consequently, he currently sits as an independent MP. He stated, “We won’t rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty”. The party described McDonald’s comment as “deeply offensive”. He sued Conservative MP Chris Clarkson over his response to his comments.
He was a governor of Abingdon Primary School for fifteen years until 2010 and became a governor of Middlesbrough College in 2012. He has also been chair of two charities in his constituency, the Davison Trust, which works with children with special needs, and the Teesside branch of Headway, which works with people with brain injuries.
Wife
Andy McDonald is married to his wife Sally McDonald. The couple has two children.
Andy McDonald MP net worth
How much is Andy McDonald worth? Andy McDonald net worth is estimated at around $5 million. His main source of income is from his primary work as a politician. Andy McDonald’s salary per month and other career earnings are over $254,000 dollars annually. His remarkable achievements have earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy car trips. He is one of the richest and most influential politicians in England. He stands at an appealing height of 1.75m and has a good body weight which suits his personality.