John Cummings (politician)

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = John Cummings
honorific-suffix =

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constituency_MP = Easington
parliament =
majority = 18,636 (58.5%)
predecessor = Jack Dormand
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 11 June 1987
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1943|07|6|df=yes
birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse =
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

John Scott Cummings (born 6 July 1943) is a British politician. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Easington in County Durham.

Early life

John Cummings was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, a fifth generation coal miner, he was educated at the Murton Council Infant and Junior schools on "Watt Street" and Secondary school. He attended both the Easington Technical College and the Durham Technical College until 1962. He began his career with the National Coal Board as a miner in 1958, becoming a pit electrician from 1967 until his election to parliament twenty years later. He was elected as councillor to the Easington District Council in 1970, was its chairman 1975-1976, and its leader from 1979 until he stepped down in 1987. He was a member of the Northumbrian Water Authority and the Peterlee and Newton Aycliffe Development Corporation. He was a trade unionist with the National Union of Mineworkers and was a trustee for the union from 1986-2000.

Parliamentary life

He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1987 General Election as the Labour MP for Easington following the retirement of Jack Dormond. John Cummings was elected with a majority of 24,639 and has been elected very easily there since. In parliament he became a member of the Environment Select Committee from 1990 until he was promoted to become an Opposition Whip by Tony Blair in 1995. However, he was sacked after the 1997 General Election and has not served in government. He again joined the environment select committee (in its various guises of "Environment, Transport and the Regions" and "Transport, Local Government and the Regions". He has been a member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen since 2000 and has served on the select committee of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since 2002.

In September 2006 he announced that he will stand down at the next general election, [cite news |url=http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2006/10/10/labour-stalwart-is-to-step-down-61634-17901254/ |title=Labour stalwart is to step down |author= |work=The Journal (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) |date=10 October 2006 |page=7 |accessdate=2007-12-26] and in September 2007 the Easington Constituency Labour Party (CLP) selected local councillor and CLP secretary Grahame Morris as its candidate for the next election. [cite news |url=http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/9772/New-standard-bearer-for-Labour.3175639.jp |title=New standard bearer for Labour in Easington |author=John Cummings |work=Hartlepool Mail |date=5 September 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-26]

Personal life

Single and Roman Catholic, Cummings represents a famous parliamentary constituency which can boast both the former twice Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald, and Manny Shinwell, the longest lived parliamentarian. He has campaigned for the protection of the badger. His bag was once stolen in a Soho pub by a rentboy who used his travel documents. He used to share a flat with fellow northeastern Labour MP Ronnie Campbell and he keeps Jack Russell terriers.

References

External links

* [http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2216 The Labour Party - John Cummings MP] official biography
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-1215,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: John Cummings MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/john_cummings/easington TheyWorkForYou.com - John Cummings MP]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/218.stm BBC Politics page]