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Calvin Bailey

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Wing Commander
Calvin Bailey
MBE MP
Official portrait, 2024
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 June 2026
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byLouise Sandher-Jones
Member of Parliament
for Leyton and Wanstead
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byJohn Cryer
Majority13,964 (32.0%)
Personal details
Born1977 or 1978 (age 48–49)
Zambia
PartyLabour
Children4
Awards
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceRoyal Air Force
Years of service
1999–2024
RankWing Commander
CommandsNo. LXX Squadron RAF
No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing

Calvin George Bailey MBE MP (born 1977) is a British politician and former Royal Air Force officer who has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People since 2026. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Leyton and Wanstead since 2024.

Early life and education

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Bailey was born in 1977 in Zambia.[1] As a child, his family moved to London,[1] where Bailey grew up in Plumstead and attended a now defunct comprehensive school.[2] He was friends with the brother of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993, and is now "very embarrassed to say" that he illegally carried a knife in the aftermath.[1][3]

Bailey graduated with a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree from the University of Exeter in 1999. He later completed a Master of Arts (MA) degree in war studies at King's College London in 2017.[2]

Military service

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Wing Commander Bailey in 2021

On 3 October 1999, Bailey was commissioned in the Royal Air Force with the rank of pilot officer.[4] He was promoted to flying officer on 3 April 2000,[5] and to flight lieutenant on 3 April 2001.[6] From 2001 to 2007, he flew the C-130 Hercules with No. 47 Squadron RAF.[7] From 2007 to 2010, he served with the United States Air Force as part of the Pilot Exchange Program, flying with 15th Special Operations Squadron.[7][8][9] He was second in command of No. 47 Squadron RAF from 2013 to 2016.[7]

In 2013, he was awarded the Air Medal by the President of the United States "in recognition of meritorious, gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Afghanistan".[10] In February 2015, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field during the period 1 October 2013 to 30 June 2014".[11] He received the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 2018.

Bailey was promoted to wing commander on 30 August 2016.[12] In 2020, he was officer commanding No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing as part of Operation Shader.[13] In May 2021, he became officer commanding No. LXX (70) Squadron RAF which operated the Airbus A400M Atlas.[14] He was the detachment commander of the deployed Air Mobility Forces during Operation Pitting, the UK's military operation to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from Kabul Airport, Afghanistan.[15] It was his decision to double the number of passengers taken per flight, as the risk of overloading the aircraft was outweighed by the risk to the lives of those who would have been left behind.[16]

Bailey retired from the Royal Air Force after 24 years of service, having been elected a member of parliament.[17]

Political career

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On 4 July 2024, Bailey was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Leyton and Wanstead with 20,755 votes (47.5%) and a majority of 13,964.[18] On 24 July 2024, he made his maiden speech during a debate on the Global Combat Air Programme.[17]

In November 2024, Bailey voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[19]

Bailey became a junior minister in Keir Starmer's government when he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People on 12 June 2026.[20]

Personal life

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Bailey has four children, two daughters and two sons.[2] He was a parent governor of St John's Marlborough, Wiltshire, since March 2003.[2][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Adu, Aletha (3 June 2024). "'I'm compelled by service': ex-military Labour candidate Calvin Bailey". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Staff & Governance at St John's". St John's Marlborough. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Labour's Calvin Bailey warns of right-wing threat as he wins in Leyton and Wanstead". Waltham Forest Echo. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  4. ^ "No. 55776". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 February 2000. p. 2278.
  5. ^ "No. 55848". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 May 2000. p. 5368.
  6. ^ "No. 55848". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 2001. p. 5800.
  7. ^ a b c "Bailey, Calvin George, MP (Lab) Leyton and Wanstead, since 2024". Who's Who 2025. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2024. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U300114.
  8. ^ Bond, Katie (1 March 2010). "Lyneham pilot tells of hell in Haiti". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  9. ^ "Tag: Calvin Bailey". www.dvidshub.net. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  10. ^ "No. 60456". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 March 2013. p. 5741.
  11. ^ "No. 61155". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 February 2015. pp. 3472–3473.
  12. ^ "No. 61829". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 January 2017. p. 1415.
  13. ^ "Reflections on Six Years of Operation SHADER". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  14. ^ "New Officer Commanding for LXX Squadron". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Recording: The RAF Experience During Op PITTING". rusi.org. The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2024. Wing Commander Calvin Bailey, the Detachment Commander of the deployed Air Mobility Forces as part of Op PITTING overseeing the flying operations
  16. ^ Steafel, Eleanor (2 July 2023). "'If we get overrun now, I'm dead': the RAF aviators scarred by the Kabul airlift". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  17. ^ a b Mr Calvin Bailey (24 July 2024). "International Immunities and Privileges". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 684–686.
  18. ^ "Leyton and Wanstead – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". Votes in Parliament. 29 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Ministerial appointments: 12 June 2026". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  21. ^ "Mr Calvin Bailey: Registered Interests". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
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