Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey since 1997. Committees: Member, Works of Art Committee since 2001; Member, CMS Select Committee since 1997; Chair, All-Party Internet Committee, British Council Group, Rugby Union, Zimbabwe Committee; Vice-Chair, Media and Mobile Telephony; Secretary, Saudi Arabia Committee; Member, Labour Middle East Council since 1997. Political career: Labour Councillor, Archway Ward, Haringey Council 1994-96. Special political interests: IT, culture, venture capital, urban parks, laundered money, foreign affairs, sport, media. Profession/Trade: Media. Title/Honours/Decorations: UNO award for work on sport and apartheid 1987; FRSA since 1996. Education: St Luke's College, Exeter; Open University; St Catherine's College, Oxford. Author of: Six books - five on rugby and one on film. Hobbies: Rugby (Oxford University, Barbarians and England caps),travel, jazz, writing, Charlton Athletic Football Club.
b. 4 December 1949, Woolwich. Married with two children.

2005				2001
LAB HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Labour	17,051	41.8	-4.0	17,340	45.8
Conservative	16,972	41.6	5.1	13,831	36.5
Lib Dem	5,183	12.7	-1.4	5,353	14.1
UKIP	926	2.3	0.5	661	1.7
Loony Party	479	1.2	-0.6	673	1.8
Veritas	192	0.5	-	-	-
Majority	79	0.2		3,509	9.3
Turnout	40,803	64.8	7.3	37,858	57.5