Jawad Iqbal Jawad Iqbal

Hamish Falconer and the trouble with Labour’s ‘Red Princes’

Hamish Falconer in action on the broadcast round (Credit: Talk TV)

The appearance on our television screens of one Hamish Falconer, the newly-elected Labour MP for Lincoln, tells us much more about Keir Starmer’s government than meets the eye.

Falconer is not exactly a household name, but has already been elevated to the role of junior minister in the Foreign Office. He is an ex-pupil of Westminster School and was elected to parliament at his first attempt in July. Just a fortnight or so later, Falconer – who spent his pre-MP career working at the Foreign Office – was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Few voters outside of Lincoln will have heard of him, but plenty in the Labour party will know his name all too well: he is the son of former Labour Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer. This qualifies him to be described as one of Labour’s ‘Red Princes’, and destined for great things.

Written by
Jawad Iqbal

Jawad Iqbal is a broadcaster and ex-television news executive. Jawad is a former Visiting Senior Fellow in the Institute of Global Affairs at the LSE

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