Julia Buckley MP
Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury
Julia Buckley brings a blend of academic rigor, EU policy experience, and local government leadership to her role as a Labour MP. Her milestone election broke historical barriers in Shrewsbury and positions her as a voice for environmental accountability, local markets, and engaged community representation on both rural and urban fronts.
In the July 2024 general election, Julia was elected as MP for the re-established seat of Shrewsbury, becoming the first Labour MP for Shrewsbury and the first woman ever to represent the town in Parliament, securing a majority of 11,355 votes.
Julia Buckley MP has been active in Parliament on national rail policy, pushing for fairer rail governance, transparent access rights, and affordability for passengers. Her parliamentary questions have focused on ensuring fair network access under the Railways Bill, assessing the impact of rail fares on passenger affordability, and improving rail connectivity for communities currently lacking adequate links.
She has also been a strong advocate for improved bus services, particularly for disabled passengers and areas hit hardest by service cuts. In debates on the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, she championed removing the 9:30am restriction on disabled bus passes to allow 24/7 access, arguing the social and economic benefits clearly outweigh the costs. Additionally, she urged Shropshire Council to adopt new powers in the forthcoming Bus Services Bill to restore essential routes, stressing the severe decline in local bus provision—including the lack of any Sunday service for a decade.
A major part of her local transport work has been establishing and leading the Shrewsbury Transport Integration Group (STIG), which brings together more than 20 transport stakeholders. Under her leadership, STIG has delivered tangible improvements, including an additional Cardiff–Shrewsbury train service, funding applications to upgrade Shrewsbury Railway Station, and progress toward securing direct rail services to London. Through this group, Julia has successfully launched the first two phases on a Night Bus service in Shrewsbury, an important shift toward improving evening and weekend mobility across Shrewsbury.
Beyond integration efforts, Buckley has convened multiple high level meetings with rail operators and infrastructure leaders to progress Shrewsbury’s rail upgrades. Her work includes pushing for a station revamp, coordinating better bus rail connectivity, and supporting the newly approved Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway open access route, which will bring five new direct daily services to London. She continues to monitor local rail performance amid the rollout of new Class 197 trains, which offer improved accessibility, passenger comfort, and capacity.
