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In my family, politics was discussed often, and meeting politicians wasn’t unusual. Anyone looking at my background would assume that I would be a Conservative – my parents were both lifelong Tories and my grandad had been a Tory MP (for Berwick-on Tweed, from 1929 to 1935 and remained actively involved in politics until close to his death when I was a teenager). He even spent part of his brief parliamentary career outside the Tory parliamentary party, so I also knew that principles could rise above party loyalties.
I was mostly educated privately but went to four schools before I was 10 as I followed my father’s naval postings. He was in the navy for about 30 years, serving in submarines through most of the Second World War, and rising to command boats later. For a long time he held the world record for the deepest escape from a submarine (over 600 feet from a submarine on the bottom of the Mediterranean). He taught me - and continues to do so – a great deal about both duty and responsibility, and that being in a minority, or even alone in one’s views doesn’t make those views wrong.
It was in 1974 that I finally made up my mind about politics. I joined the Labour Party between that year's two elections after voting Labour in my first vote in February 1974 while I was at university in Cambridge. I didn't like the divisive approach of the then Tory government and I supported the arguments of the miners for higher wages, which were being rejected by them.
I became a councillor in 1980 at the age of 25. I was deputy leader of Cambridge City Council at the age of 27 and leader for three years. I was and remain, a strong supporter of local government and the rights of local people to lead change in their area because that works far better than big programmes directed from above.
Throughout this period I held a marginal seat and managed to increase my majority at each election. I would personally visit around one third of the over 3000 homes in my ward every year outside election periods and enjoyed the detailed individual work that produced. Politics is service. I specialised as a councillor in finance and was involved in the development of The Junction which is now a leading arts venue in East Anglia and the Cambridge Rock Music Competition for which I appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test. In a generally wealthy city I wanted venues and events which met the needs of young local people, not just affluent students
While I was interested in politics at a very young age I wanted a working life before a political career. I didn’t think that you can seek to represent people without facing and understanding the practical tasks of living most people face. Throughout my local government career I remained in full-time work through the tolerance of my employer and the acceptance of part-time councillors in leadership roles. I’m not sure I’d have either now. I spent 20 years in the publishing industry starting as an editor of school history books and leaving when I was running the warehouse, customer service and information systems of the UK business of Addison Wesley Longman. Through most of my business career my task was the transformation of previously unprofitable businesses or service functions which were too costly and failing to deliver. That meant leading major changes. Mostly my work was positive – creating better and more secure jobs through rethinking how the business could thrive.
I stood for Parliament in South Derbyshire at the 1992 General Election and halved Edwina Currie's majority. The voters of South Derbyshire then elected me in 1997 with 54.5% of the vote, returned me in the General Election of 2001 with 50.7% of the vote, and again in 2005 with 44.5% of the vote.
One of my proudest parliamentary achievements to date is steering through a private member's bill which helped extend the legal protection of community benefit societies. The best examples of these are football supporters' clubs – Derby County’s supporters club is one.
Most of my local achievements involve working with others – voluntary groups, councils and individuals. I’ve been involved in many bids and arguments for local projects, from Sharpe’s Pottery to individual school buildings, from Swadlincote’s new health centre to extra funding for our local police. South Derbyshire has many people with ideas and the will to make those ideas realities. Part of my job has been to help make so many actually happen.
I have been married since 1979. I have one son Peter who is 17. My wife Sarah is a director of a company selling services to the pharmaceutical industry.
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Biography