Peter Prinsley

British politician

Peter Prinsley FRCSEd FRCS (Eng) MP
Official portrait, 2024

Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 July 2024
Preceded by	Constituency established
Majority	1,452 (2.85%)

Personal details
Born	1957 or 1958 (age 66–67)
Political party	Labour
Website	peterprinsley.org

Peter Richard Prinsley^[1] (born 1957 or 1958)^[2] is a British Labour Party politician, who was elected as Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket in the general election held on 4 July 2024.^[3]

He is a member of Jewish Labour Movement and GMB.^[4]

Career

Prinsley is an otorhinolaryngologist by profession (a physician specialising in diseases of the ear, nose, and throat). He was educated at Sheffield Medical School.^[5] Before being elected to Parliament, he worked as a consultant ENT surgeon at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital, James Paget University Hospital and in private practice.^[6]^[7] He has a research interest in Otology and taught at Norwich Medical School. Prinsley became a Norwich City councillor in 2023.^[8]

Member of Parliament

Prinsley had sought selection as Labour candidate for Great Yarmouth, but was unsuccessful. After the 2024 election was called, the Labour Party told him he had been selected to fight Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket,^[9] and his successful election was seen as a surprise win in an area that has traditionally been heavily Conservative.^[10] He defeated Conservative candidate Will Tanner, who had previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He campaigned in an old Post Office van, decorated with photographs of him in surgical scrubs, becoming one of the oldest first-time MPs. He has said that, regarding the jobs of surgeon and MP, 'both of these rôles have their uses'.^[11]

Personal life

He is Jewish and attends Norwich Synagogue.^[4] His wife, Dr Marian Prinsley, is a retired psychologist and former president of the Norwich Hebrew Congregation who became the Sheriff of Norwich in 2019.^[12] Mr Prinsley's brother-in-law is John Schlapobersky, a group psychotherapist and anti-apartheid activist who was a Founding Trustee of the Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture. The Prinsleys have three adult children and are grandparents.^[8]

References

^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
^ https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/we-ve-finally-turned-a-tide-labour-s-peter-prinsley-on-wh-9373672/
^ "Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
^ ^a ^b Reporter, J. C. "Jewish NHS doctor announced as Labour candidate for Suffolk seat". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
^ "GMC". General Medical Council. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
^ Heywood, Harriet (7 July 2024). "Who are the newly elected MPs for Suffolk?". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
^ "Mr Peter Prinsley. Consultant Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon". Spire Healthcare. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
^ ^a ^b Derrick, Paul (9 July 2024). "Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket's new Labour MP Peter Prinsley on his history-making election and hopes for the future". Suffolk News. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^ "'I didn't expect to win'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
^ "'I can't believe Labour have actually won here'". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
^ "'I didn't expect to win'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
^ Grimmer, Dan (21 May 2019). "Who has become the new Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich?". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 11 July 2024.