Mike Wood

Infobox MP


honorific-prefix =
name = Mike Wood
honorific-suffix = MP
constituency_MP = Batley and Spen
parliament =
majority = 5,788 (14.8%)
predecessor = Elizabeth Peacock
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 1 May 1997
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1946|03|3|df=yes
birth_place = Crewe, Cheshire, England
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse =
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Leeds Metropolitan University
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Michael Roy Wood (born March 3, 1946, in Crewe, Cheshire, England) is a British politician, and Labour Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen, first elected in the 1997 general election. He is a member of the left wing Socialist Campaign Group, and is considered one of the more independently minded Labour MPs.

Personal life

He was educated at Leeds Metropolitan University, gaining a degree in History and Politics, and trained as a probation officer before becoming a full time politician.

He lists his interests as reading, music, sport, ornithology and walking. He was also the founder member of two workers' co-operatives.

Mr Wood is an executive member of the Penal Affairs Group, a patron of the National Association of Market Authorities, a member of the Campaign for State Education and the Working Class Movement Library and a friend of Birzeit University

Political life

From 1980 to 1988, he represented his then hometown Cleckheaton as a councillor - during that time he was chairman of the housing committee and the social services committee and was deputy leader of Kirklees Council.

He joined the Labour Party in 1966, aged twenty.His political interests are described as: "law and order, animal welfare, transport, employment, health and the environment. He is a member of the Parliamentary groups on homelessness, transport, Indo-British affairs, AIDS, animal welfare, MS, ME, disablement, human rights, Kashmir and alcohol misuse."

He has developed a deserved reputation as a dedicated constituency MP and focuses almost all his energy and attention on the needs of his constituents. As a result, this has allowed him to become an independently minded and fiercely conscientious Parliamentarian unafraid to vote against the Government.

On 31 October, 2006, Wood was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6104310.stm | title=Labour MPs who rebelled on Iraq | date=31 October, 2006 | accessdate=2006-10-31 | work=BBC News]

In May 2007 he became parliamentary manager for John McDonnell's campaign to challenge Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party following Tony Blair's resignation. Source; http://www.john4leader.org.uk/

Notes

External links

* [http://www.mikewood.org.uk/ Mike Wood] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-5652,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Mike Wood MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/mike_wood/batley_and_spen TheyWorkForYou.com - Mike Wood MP]
* [http://publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Robert_Wareing&mpc=Liverpool%2C+West+Derby The Public Whip - Mike Wood MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/34.stm BBC News - Mike Wood] BBC profile