Labour's General Secretary Hollie Ridley has announced she will resign from the role after the party's annual conference in the autumn. Ridley, a close ally of Keir Starmer and described as a 'Labour hero', informed party staff on Friday that she was stepping down for personal reasons.
Ridley's statement to staff
In a meeting with staff, Ridley said: 'The next Leader of our Party and Prime Minister will have my full support, as we continue to drive forwards the vital work of change and deliver that crucial second term in government. There will be time to trade stories, to share successes and say our goodbyes but that comes later, for now there is a job to do.' She added that it was the 'right decision' to step aside and allow Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) to 'choose a new General Secretary to work alongside a new leader once they are elected.'
Context: Starmer's resignation and Burnham's expected succession
Ridley's resignation follows Keir Starmer's announcement last month that he would step down as Labour leader and Prime Minister. Andy Burnham, currently running unopposed, is widely expected to replace him on July 20. Ridley, whose party career spans 16 years, was appointed General Secretary in 2024 shortly after running Labour's field operations at the general election.
Tributes from party leaders
Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute, saying: 'Hollie is one of the most formidable campaigners the Labour Party has ever produced. She joined as a trainee organiser because she wanted to fight for her community in Dagenham, and rose to the very top of our party through hard work, talent and belief in what Labour can do for working people.' He added: 'She built and led the ground campaign that delivered our general election victory and allowed us to start changing Britain, and as General Secretary she has served our party with distinction. I want to thank her for everything she has done for our party, our country, and for me as leader.'
Labour chair Anna Turley described Ridley as a 'trailblazing campaigner' held in the highest regard, saying: 'I have scarcely met someone with more determination, skill and fierce commitment to supporting other working-class women to rise to the top of their game.' Top Labour Cabinet minister Pat McFadden echoed the sentiment, calling Ridley 'a Labour hero' who 'played a critical role in Labour's General Election victory in 2024.'
Ridley's background and career
Ridley grew up in Dagenham, the daughter of a family support worker and a lorry driver. She began working for the party as a trainee organiser in 2011. Over the next decade, she rose through the ranks and was credited with expanding opportunities for women in Labour, delivering the first two rounds of the party's Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme. In her meeting with staff, she recalled: 'Teachers always told me that politics wasn't for me, that I should lower my sights and have more realistic expectations. I refused to believe that space shouldn't be made for working class girls determined to change their communities for the better. The Labour Party shared my view, appointing me to the role of Trainee Organiser.' She added: 'I started working here in 2011, full of optimism that we would return to government after one term in opposition. The reality is that it would take us 14 hard years of opposition, and a huge amount of work, for us to turn outwards and face the public and finally win again. I will forever be proud of the role that I played, alongside so many of you, to return our party to government.'
