'Labour hero' Hollie Ridley to resign as party's General Secretary after two years

'Labour hero' Hollie Ridley to resign as party's General Secretary after two years General Secretary Hollie Ridley - an ally of Keir Starmer and described as a 'Labour hero' - told party staff on Friday she was stepping down after the autumn conference for personal reasons. Labour’s trailblazing general secretary Hollie Ridley has announced she will resign from the role after the party’s annual conference in the autumn. Ms Ridley - an ally of Keir Starmer and described as a “Labour hero” - told party staff on Friday she was stepping down for personal reasons. In the meeting, she added: “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.” Ms Ridley also said it was the “right decision” to step aside and allow Labour’s governing body - the National Executive Committee (NEC) - to “choose a new General Secretary to work alongside a new leader once they are elected”. It comes after Mr Starmer announced his decision last month to resign as Labour leader and Prime Minister, with Andy Burnham, who is currently running unopposed, widely expected to replace him in No10 on July 20. Ms Ridley - whose career in the party spans 16 years - was appointed to the role in 2024 shortly after running Labour’s field operations at the general election. Paying tribute to Ms Ridley, Mr Starmer said: “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. The Prime Minister 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. I am proud to have worked alongside her, and wish her the very best for what comes next.” Labour chair 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.” Top Labour Cabinet minister Pat McFadden added: “Hollie Ridley is a Labour hero. “A great woman, she played a critical role in Labour's General Election victory in 2024. She represents excellence in campaigning, close to voters, fearless in decision making and always insisting we are the best we can be. Thank you Hollie.” 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. In her meeting with staff on Friday, she said: “I grew up in Dagenham, the daughter of a family support worker and a lorry driver. 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."