Member for Birmingham, Northfield since 1992. Committees: Member, Trade and Industry Select Committee since 2001; Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electoral Reform; Chair, Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group; Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group; Chair, Birmingham Group of Labour MPs; Member, PLP Trade and Industry and Foreign Affairs Committees; former Chair, Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety; Former Secretary, PLP Trade and Industry Committee. Political career: Parliamentary Advisor on Motorsport to Richard Caborn MP as Minister for Sport since 2001; PPS to Jeff Rooker MP as Pensions Minister 1999-2001, and as Food Safety Minister 1997-99. Special political interests: Trade and industry, especially automotive and motorsport industries; citizenship issues; constitutional reform and electoral reform; regional government; regeneration; Middle East. Profession/Trade: Former trade union officer. Education: Wallasey Technical Grammar School; Bramhall Comprehensive School; St John's College of FE (Manchester); University of York, BA (Hons) Politics; Warwick University, MA Industrial Relations. Languages spoken: French (rusty). Affiliations: Fabian Society; Socialist Environment and Resources Association; Socialist Health Association; Co-op Party; Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform; Electoral Reform Society; Labour Middle East Council; Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. Hobbies: Motorsport (holds a competition racing licence), travel, food, cinema.
b. 1 September 1954, Liverpool. Married with three stepchildren.

2005				2001
LAB HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Labour	15,419	49.7	-6.3	16,528	56
Conservative	8,965	28.9	-0.7	8,730	29.6
Lib Dem	4,171	13.4	2.2	3,322	11.2
BNP	1,278	4.1	-	-	-
UKIP	641	2.1	0.2	550	1.9
Good	428	1.4	1.4	-	-
Soc Alt	120	0.4	0.4	-	-
WRP	34	0.1	0.1	-	-
Soc Alliance	-	-	-	193	0.7
Soc Lab	-	-	-	151	0.5
Communist Brit	-	-	-	60	0.2
Majority	6,454	20.8	-	7,798	26.4
Turnout	31,056	56.6	3.8	29,534	52.8