Profile and Career History
BornHampstead, 24th April, 1949
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Family:Married: 1972. Wife, Ruth. Three children. Education:St. Joseph's, Wembley, Middlesex. Our Lady Immaculate Primary School, Tolworth, Surrey.
Salesian School, Chertsey, Surrey.
Kingston College of Further Education.
Kingston College of Advanced Technology.Career before entering Parliament:
Trade Unions:
Previous Employment: Committee Clerk with Surrey County Council, 1965-75. Nalgo Trade Union Official, 1975-92.
Local Government Officer with Surrey County Council NALGO official
Councillor: Royal Borough Kingston-Upon-Thames, 1971-78.A member of the Transport and General Workers Union since 1975. Has a close association with GPMU, the media/print and paper union. Between 1965 and 1975 was a member of NALGO (now Unison)
Political career:Member TGWU Cllr, Kingston-upon-Thames Council 1971-78
Candidate for Parliament:
- Contested Surbiton, Feb and Oct 1974
- Contested Croydon Central 1983
- Contested London South and Surrey East 1984 in European Election
- Contested Peterborough 1987
- MP for Thurrock 1992-present Work at Westminster- Member of Foreign Affairs Select Committee, 1997-date
- Chairperson All-Party Poland Group
- Chairperson All-Party Gibraltar Group, 1999-2000
- Member of Transport Select Committee, 1992-97
- Associate Member, British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary BodyCompleted a secondment with the Royal Marines as part of the Parliamentary Armed Forces scheme. This included military exercises in the Jordan Desert in 1997 and Norway/Arctic Circle in 1998.
Recreation and hobbies:Researching World War I, studying The Ipres Salient.
Collecting political, parliamentary, Labour and Socialist ephemera/memorabilia.
Sketching.
Exploring Ireland, Poland and other parts of Central Europe.
Non-league soccer (honorary patron, Tilbury FC).