Labour's 'trailblazing' general secretary Hollie Ridley to step down after two years
Ms Ridley has worked for Labour for almost 16 years and ran the party's field operations in the 2024 general election
Labour’s general secretary Hollie Ridley has announced she will stand down in the autumn after two years in the role.
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Described as a trailblazer for senior women in the party, Ms Ridley ran Labour’s field operations in the 2024 general election before being appointed general secretary in September that year.
Announcing her departure to party staff on Friday, Ms Ridley said she would leave after Labour’s annual conference in September, having worked for the party for almost 16 years.
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She told staff she was stepping down partly for personal reasons, and also to allow Labour’s ruling national executive committee to choose a new general secretary to work with the party’s new leader, widely expected to be Andy Burnham.
It is understood that she has been in contact with Mr Burnham’s team and other prospective leadership candidates to notify them of her decision and stress her commitment to supporting the next prime minister.
Paying tribute to Ms Ridley, Sir Keir Starmer described her as “one of the most formidable campaigners the Labour Party has ever produced”.
He said: “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. I am proud to have worked alongside her, and wish her the very best for what comes next.”
Party chairwoman Anna Turley said Ms Ridley was a “trailblazing campaigner” who was “held in the highest regard by party staff, Labour members and the whole of our movement”.
Ms Turley added; “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.”
The daughter of a family support worker and a lorry driver, Ms Ridley grew up in Dagenham and began working for the party as a trainee organiser in 2011.
Rising through the ranks over the next decade, she has also been credited with expanding opportunities for women in Labour, delivering the first two rounds of the party’s Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme.