Alan Campbell (politician)

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Alan Campbell
honorific-suffix =

---

office = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office
term_start = 5 October 2008
term_end =
predecessor = Replaces no-one
successor =
primeminister = Gordon Brown
constituency_MP2 = Tynemouth
parliament2 =
majority2 = 4,143 (9.7%)
predecessor2 = Neville Trotter
successor2 = Incumbent
term_start2 = 1 May 1997
term_end2 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1957|07|8|df=yes
birth_place = Consett
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Jayne Lamont
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of Leeds, Lancaster University, Northumbria University
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Alan Campbell (born 8 July 1957) British politician. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Tynemouth, and serves as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office.

Early life

Alan Campbell was born and bred in Consett and went to the Blackfyne Grammar School (in the year above the actress Denise Welch) on "Durham Road" (A691), Blackhill in the town before attending the University of Lancaster where he was awarded a BA in [http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/politics/ Politics] . He then gained a PGCE at the University of Leeds, before finishing his education at the Newcastle Polytechnic with a MA in [http://northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/sass/about/polandhist/?view=Standard History] . He began his career as a teacher at Whitley Bay High School in 1981, after eight years there he became the Head of the Sixth Form at the Hirst High School on "Lichfield Close" in Ashington, then head of department, where he remained until he was elected to the British House of Commons.

Parliamentary career

He contested the Conservative-held marginal constituency of Tynemouth at the 1997 general election where he defeated Martin Callanan by 11,273 votes. He made his maiden speech on 2 June 1997. [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970602/debtext/70602-17.htm#70602-17_spnew0] . Following his election, Alan Campbell was a member of the Public Accounts Select Committee for the duration of his first parliament. After the 2001 General Election he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Gus Macdonald, and in 2003 became the PPS to Adam Ingram at the Ministry of Defence. He entered the government of Tony Blair after the 2005 General Election as an assistant Whip, being promoted to a full whip in 2006. In October 2008 he was promoted to be a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office.

His voting record since 2001 [ [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/alan_campbell/tynemouth] They Work For You] shows him to be very strongly in favour of: foundation hospitals, top-up fees for students, anti-terrorism laws, the war in Iraq, replacing Trident, against hunting and against a transparent Parliament. He never rebels against his Party in Parliament.

In October 2008 himself and deceased former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Edward Heath were reported to police in Whitley Bay by former members of UKIP for 'crimes of treason and sedition'. They believed that his support for the Lisbon Treaty amounted to treason. He later described the group as 'political cranks'. [ [http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/latest-news/Local-MP-and-former-PM.4549758.jp Local MP and former PM reported for 'treason crimes'] ]

On 5 October 2008, Campbell was shuffled from the Whips' Office to the Home Office as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

Under his Tynemouth constituency, many feel that he is distant from issues that would show his individuality. On major labour policies, he has always favoured the vote recommended to him by the current leader at the time such as the Iraq War and ID Cards which cause disputes amongst Labour MP's constantly. [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/comments/recent/?pid=10086]

Personal life

He married Jayne Lamont in August 1991 in Newcastle upon Tyne and they have a son, James (born October 1995), and a daughter, Emily (born October 1993), and is a supporter of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. In May 2000, he had an operation at Newcastle General Hospital to remove a benign tumour from the top of his spine.

References

External links

* [http://www.alancampbellmp.co.uk Alan Campbell MP] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-815,00.html Guardian Unlimtied Politics - Ask Aristotle: Alan Campbell MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/alan_campbell/tynemouth TheyWorkForYou.com - Alan Campbell MP]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/591.stm BBC Politics]

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/147687.stm Upset about "Viz" cartoon in August 1998]