[3] Whilst working for the firm, McDonald acted as an adviser to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee for its 2003 report on Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation.

[6] At the time of his selection as a parliamentary candidate, he was chairman of Middlesbrough Labour Party Local Government Committee.

[7] Labour shortlisted McDonald as a potential candidate for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the 2010 general election.

[2] McDonald was elected to Parliament when he won the Middlesbrough by-election held on 29 November 2012, retaining the seat for Labour following the death of Sir Stuart Bell.

[8] Since his election to Parliament, he has campaigned against the "Bedroom Tax" (part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012) and in favour of nationalisation of the East Coast Main Line franchise, arguing that the Scotland-London railway had been the only one in the country "which comes close to paying for itself" and that journey numbers, revenue and customer satisfaction had grown since nationalisation in 2009.

[17] In April 2020, incoming leader Keir Starmer moved McDonald to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections.

[19] In September 2021, McDonald resigned as Shadow Secretary, citing lack of support from Starmer for an increase in the minimum wage to £15 per hour.

[20] In April 2023, using parliamentary privilege when speaking in the House of Commons, McDonald alleged "shocking, industrial-scale corruption" surrounding the Teesworks free port development near Redcar.

[23][24] In the subsequent report published in January 2024, the review found no evidence to support allegations of corruption or illegality whilst going on to make recommendations to improve governance and transparency of the project.

[25] In June 2023, McDonald condemned the government's proposal to house 1,500 asylum seekers on a barge, possibly in Middlesbrough.