Roger Godsiff

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Roger Godsiff
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constituency_MP = Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath
Birmingham Small Heath (1992-1997)
parliament =
majority = 3,289 (8.6%)
predecessor = Denis Howell
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 9 April 1992
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1946|06|28|df=yes
birth_place = London Borough of Lewisham
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Julia Brenda Morris
party = Labour
relations =
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residence =
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website =
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Roger Duncan Godsiff (born June 28, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath since 1992.

Roger Godsiff was born in London and educated at the Catford Comprehensive School. He was a bank clerk for five years from 1965, joining the Labour Party in 1966. He was a political officer from 1970 with the trade union Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX) and then from 1990 with its successor the GMB Union until his election to Parliament in 1992. During his time as a trade union official he was a leading member of the St Ermins Group, a secret caucus of moderate trade unionists who moved the Labour Party back towards the political centre by organising slates for elections to the party's National Executive Committee.

Elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham in 1971, he became the Mayor of Lewisham in 1977, before quitting the council at the 1990 London Borough elections. He unsuccessfully contested Birmingham Yardley at the 1983 general election where he finished in third place behind the sitting Conservative MP David Bevan. He was subsequently elected to the House of Commons for Birmingham Small Heath at the 1992 general election following the retirement of Denis Howell. Godsiff held Small Heath with a majority of 13,989 votes and has remained an MP since. His constituency was abolished in 1997 and aided by the retirement of Birmingham Sparkbrook MP Roy Hattersley, Godsiff was elected for the newly combined constituency of Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath at the 1997 general election.

The Sparkbrook and Small Heath seat is due to be abolished at the next election, with its constituent parts moving into neighbouring seats. Godsiff has applied for selection to the redrawn Birmingham Hall Green seat, which includes much of his existing constituency.

In Parliament he is a special adviser to the Minister of Sport Richard Caborn on cricket and is the chairman of the All Party Japan Group. He has been married to Julia Brenda Morris since 1977 and they have a son and a daughter. At the 2001 general election, six of his seven opponents were Asian Muslims. He is a lifelong supporter of Charlton Athletic F.C.

On 31 October, 2006, Godsiff 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] He also rebelled against the government in November 2005 on legislation permitting the detention of terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial. [cite web | url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2005-11-09&number=84 | title=Terrorism Bill - Clause 23 - rebels | date = 9 November, 2005 | accessdate=2006-11-01 | work=Public Whip]

Andy McSmith's book "Faces of Labour" (1996), contends that Godsiff obtained selection for his seat in 1992 by dubious means, which although accepted by the Labour Party, were too late to act upon. In 2005, "Tribune" made similar allegations about his successful bid to stave off deselection, which was only thwarted by the local votes of his former employer, the GMB Union. Godsiff had angered many in his local party by his calls for curbs on immigration.

References

External links

* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-1957,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Roger Godsiff MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/roger_godsiff/birmingham,_sparkbrook_and_small_heath TheyWorkForYou.com - Roger Godsiff MP]