 Growing up in
Harlow
I am aged 50 and live in
Harlow with my wife Beryl and our two children. I grew up in Harlow
and was educated at Burnt Mill Comprehensive School and at
University College, Cardiff where I took an honours degree in
French.
Before
Entering Parliament
At University I served a
sabbatical year as President of the Students Union. After
University I was a management trainee with British Rail, then
became a Regional Official with the National Union of
Students. I was subsequently Head of Youth Services at
Basildon Council before becoming General Manager of Student
Services at the University of London.
I served as a local councillor in Harlow between 1985 and 1997
including a spell as Chair of the then ruling Labour
Group.
MP For Harlow
 I was first elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for
Harlow in 1997. Since then I’ve been very active in the
constituency, dealing with over 10,000 cases, holding regular “Meet
Your MP" sessions, coffee mornings and public meetings, and
going out canvassing residents views on the doorstep every
weekend. Since 1997 I’ve successfully campaigned:
- To deliver an NHS
Walk-in-Centre in Harlow.
- For £16 million to build an 82
bed extension at Princess Alexandra Hospital so we can better meet
the needs of local people and tackle waiting lists by expanded bed
capacity.
- For £800,000 to refurbish the
Maternity unit at the Hospital.
- For specialist schools status
for all six of our secondary schools bringing additional investment
in the curriculum and upgrading of buildings – we’re now one of
only three towns in the country where all our secondaries are
specialist.
- For Excellence in Cities
funding which has brought additional investment into our schools to
help tackle poor behaviour.
- For extra investment for our
housing – Harlow Council now receives £7.1 million per year
compared to £1 million in 1997.
- For a £16 million grant to
regenerate our housing and sports and recreation facilities through
the Gateway Project.
- To restore the Police and
Nurses housing grant to help with local recruitment of these
essential public sector workers.
- For measures to tackle
anti-social behaviour including Anti-Social Behaviour Orders which
the Council and Police are now using and new Community Police
Support Officers for the constituency.
- For extra help for pensioners
including the Winter Fuel Allowance, the £200 Council Tax rebate
and the abolition of charges for those elderly constituents who
have to stay in hospital for a long time.
 In Parliament my main interests have been
education and health, housing and regeneration, Europe and the
economy, and sport. Following the 2001 General Election I
served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Culture Secretary,
Tessa Jowell MP and was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip
in October 2002. However, just a few weeks later I was moved to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office following a Government reshuffle
after the resignation of Education Secretary Estelle Morris MP.
Until May 2005, I served as Parliamentary under Secretary of State
with responsibility for Government policy towards Latin America and
North East Asia, China and Hong Kong, as well as the United
Nations, human rights, the environment and the co-ordination of
international support through our Embassies across the world for
our 2012 Olympic bid. Following the May 2005 General Election
I was promoted to Minister of State at the Department for Education
and Skills with responsibility for lifelong learning, further and
higher education. In the June 2007 reshuffle, my position was
confirmed in the new Department of
Innovation, Universities and Skills. In the October 2008
reshuffle, I returned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as
Minister of State. My responsibilities include the Middle
East, Far and South-East Asia, North America,
Counter Terrorism and Migration Policy. In June 2009, I
took on the big responsibility of Minister of State for the
Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence.
Personal
Interests
My personal recreational interests are
football, travel and cricket.
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