Hollie Ridley, General Secretary of the Labour Party, has announced that she will be stepping down from the role following this year's Conference in October.
In a message addressed directly to Labour members, Ridley described the role as the privilege of her professional life. Growing up in Dagenham, with a mother who worked in a Sure Start centre and a father who was a lorry driver, she said she had seen firsthand the difference a Labour government makes to communities like the one she came from.
Her message was characterised by gratitude to the party's membership. Ridley credited Labour members — and the work they put in day in, day out, in service of the party and their communities — as the driving force behind what Labour in government is able to achieve. She said she wanted them to know she saw their contribution, and thanked them from the bottom of her heart.
Ridley confirmed that it will be business as usual until she hands over to her successor in October, and used her message to encourage members to get involved in the upcoming Manchester Mayoral by-election.
Her departure marks the end of a substantial chapter in the party's organisational history. Ridley has served across a period that saw Labour rebuild from its lowest points, return to government, and deliver a landslide majority at the 2024 general election.
A formal farewell is expected ahead of the October handover.
