Matt Turmaine
Matthew Robert Turmaine is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Watford since the 2024 [United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]. He was previously the Watford Borough Councillor for Holywell ward from 2012 until 2025.
Early life and education
Turmaine was born in 1969 at Amersham Hospital in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. His father was a compositor and his mother was a dressmaker. Turmaine attended St Clement Danes School in Chorleywood and spent much of his childhood in Watford, before moving there permanently in 2011. In his 20s, he travelled around the United States, where he visited almost every state and slept rough in Los Angeles. He graduated with a degree in economics and modern history from the University of Birmingham.Political career
Turmaine joined the Labour Party in 2004, whilst living in London. He ran as the Labour Party candidate for one of the three Fulham Reach seats on the Hammersmith and Fulham [London Borough Council|Hammersmith and Fulham Council] in the 2006 [Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council election|2006 election], where he received 1,207 votes and finished sixth out of eight candidates. In the 2010 [Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council election|2010 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election], Turmaine stood as the Labour candidate for one of the three North End seats, receiving 1,679 votes and finishing sixth out of nine candidates. After moving to Watford in 2011, he stood as the Labour candidate for Holywell ward in the 2012 [Watford Borough Council election], where he gained the seat from the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 710 votes. In the 2015 general election, Turmaine was selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford, a historical Bellwether seat, where he finished in second place below the incumbent Richard Harrington of the Conservative Party. In both the 2016 [Watford Borough Council election|2016] and 2018 council elections, he retained his Holywell seat with an increased majority.In the 2019 general election, Turmaine was selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for his home seat of Chesham and [Amersham |Chesham and Amersham], where he finished third below the Liberal Democrat candidate and the Conservative incumbent Cheryl Gillan. He then held his Holywell seat in the 2022 council election with a reduced majority. In July 2022, Turmaine was again selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford. Throughout the 2024 election campaign, Turmaine pledged to reduce the tax burden on Watford families and waiting times at Watford General Hospital as well as recruiting more teachers to Watford schools, in line with the Labour Party manifesto. He was elected as the MP for Watford in the 2024 general election, defeating the Conservative incumbent Dean Russell with a majority of 4,723 votes. In his victory speech, Turmaine thanked the people of Watford for putting their trust in him.