Sir Nicholas Dakin is the Labour MP for Scunthorpe and Vice-Chamberlain of His Majesty's Household. Born in July 1955 and educated at the University of Hull and King's College London, he taught English in Sweden before returning to teach at John Leggott College in Scunthorpe, where he became Principal. He was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for political service, unusually during the period he was out of Parliament, a distinction for a politician without a seat at the time.

He first won Scunthorpe in 2010, succeeding Elliot Morley, who was later convicted and jailed for claiming over £30,000 in fraudulent expenses, so he inherited a constituency where trust in the MP had been destroyed by criminal misconduct. He lost the seat to Holly Mumby-Croft in 2019 on a 17.1 percent swing, then regained it on 4 July 2024 with 15,484 votes (39.7 percent) and a majority of 3,542 (9.1 percent), with the Conservatives on 30.6 percent and Reform on 20.9 percent.

His ministerial record should be stated precisely. On returning in July 2024 he was appointed Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, a government whip, and days later also Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Sentencing at the Ministry of Justice, holding both at once. His brief was specifically sentencing policy, courts and prison overcrowding, to which he made 338 debate contributions, and in September 2025 he became Vice-Chamberlain of the Household. Earlier he had been Shadow Deputy Leader of the House and Shadow Minister for Schools, resigning from the Corbyn frontbench in 2016. He has voted in 445 divisions with zero rebellions.

Dakin's strengths include a Hull and King's College London education, teaching English in Sweden, the John Leggott College principalship, the 2020 knighthood, regaining a seat lost in 2019, the specific Sentencing brief at the Ministry of Justice with 338 debate contributions, the Vice-Chamberlain role showing trust, and the resilience of returning after five years out of Parliament. His weaknesses include a 3,542 majority with Reform at 20.9 percent and the Conservative and Reform vote combined over 50 percent, his age, no legislative achievement bearing his name, the whip roles being invisible to constituents, and the fact that Scunthorpe's steel industry and local economy need visible delivery rather than procedural management. At 70, the Vice-Chamberlain role is likely the final significant office of his career. Whether the Sentencing brief produced lasting reform during his 14 months in it, and whether the whip office serves Scunthorpe's needs, are the questions his second spell must answer.