Member for Airdrie & Shotts since 2005. Member for Hamilton North and Bellshill since 1987. Committees: Joint Chair, All-Party Group on Uganda; Joint Vice-Chair, APG on Azerbaijan, Belize and Russia; Member, APG on the Balkans, Central Asia, Latin America. Political career: Secretary of State for Health since 2003; appointed President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons 2003; Party Chair and Minister without Portfolio 2002-03; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2001-02; Secretary of State for Scotland 1999-2001; Minister of Transport 1997-99; Minister of State, Ministry of Defence 1997-98 (Deputy to the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 1995); Member for Motherwell North 1987; Organiser for Trade Unions for Labour 1986-87; Adviser to the Rt Hon Neil Kinnock 1983-86; Researcher, Labour Party, Scotland 1979-83. Special political interests: Transport, defence, foreign affairs. Education: Stirling University, PhD Economic History. Languages spoken: French. Hobbies: Football, history, crosswords.
b. 8 May 1947, Bellshill. Married with two children.

2005				2001
LAB HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Labour	19,568	59	-	18,478	58.2
SNP	5,484	16.5	-	6,138	19.3
Lib Dem	3,792	11.4	-	2,376	7.5
Conservative	3,271	9.9	-	1,960	6.2
Scot Soc	706	2.1	-	1,171	3.7
Scot Ind	337	1	-	-	-
Scot Union	-	-	-	1,439	4.5
Scot Lab	-	-	-	174	0.5
Majority	14,084	42.5	-	12,340	38.9
Turnout	33,158	53.5	-	31,736	54.4