Lewis Atkinson
Lewis Malcolm Atkinson is a British Labour Party politician and former NHS manager who has served as Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central since 2024.
Early life and education
Lewis Malcolm Atkinson was born in South Shields and was brought up in South Tyneside. He studied at Wadham College, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, politics and economics, and at the University of Birmingham, where he earned a master's degree in healthcare leadership and management.Career
NHS
Atkinson entered the National Health Service through the Graduate Management Training scheme.Atkinson began working in the North East NHS in 2005, having previously worked in the health team of the Treasury.
Atkinson holds the NHS Leadership Academy's Nye Bevan in Executive Healthcare Leadership.
Political
In January 2012, Atkinson announced that he would run to be on the National [Executive Committee of the Labour Party|Labour Party National Executive Committee]. In 2013, he was shortlisted to stand in South Shields, but was not ultimately selected.Incumbent MP for Sunderland Central Julie Elliott announced that she would not seek reelection at the 2024 [United Kingdom general election|2024 general election], which Atkinson later described as a "total surprise." Three days later on 30 May 2024, Atkinson was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the constituency. He was elected in the 2024 general election, winning the seat with 16,852 votes with a majority of 15.2%.
In November 2024, Atkinson voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise Assisted suicide in [the United Kingdom|assisted suicide].