- Norman Lamb
-
For the US politician, see Norman Lamb (US politician).
Norman Lamb MP 
Lamb at a Health Hotel session during the 2009 Liberal Democrat Party Conference Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister Incumbent Assumed office
12 May 2010Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by New position Lib Dem Health spokesperson Incumbent Assumed office
18 December 2006Leader Menzies Campbell Preceded by Steve Webb Liberal Democrats Trade and Industry Secretary In office
16 May 2005 – 3 March 2006Leader Charles Kennedy Preceded by Malcolm Bruce Succeeded by Edward Davey Member of Parliament
for North NorfolkIncumbent Assumed office
7 June 2001Preceded by David Prior Majority 11,626 (23.4%) Personal details Born 16 September 1957
Watford, Hertfordshire, EnglandNationality British Political party Liberal Democrat Spouse(s) Mary Lamb Children 2 sons Alma mater University of Leicester Occupation Politician Profession Solicitor, Author Website Official website Norman Peter Lamb (born 16 September 1957) is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk.
Contents
Early life
Lamb was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, the son of climatologist Professor Hubert Lamb. He went to Wymondham College, then the University of Leicester, getting an LLB, then studied for the NNEB childcare qualification at the City of London Polytechnic.
Employment lawyer
After graduating from the University of Leicester, Lamb worked as a solicitor. He began to specialise in employment law whilst working for Steele and Co Solicitors (now called Steeles Law). In 1998 he wrote a book, Remedies in the Employment Tribunal: Damages for Discrimination and Unfair Dismissal, but any chances of a follow up or update to this book were put aside when Lamb was elected to Parliament in June 2001.
Political career
Lamb worked for a year for Labour MP Greville Janner in the early 1980s, working as a researcher. His politics were always in the centre ground, but a meeting with Shirley Williams in Parliament at this time, shortly after the formation in 1981 of the SDP-Liberal Alliance, spurred Lamb in to front line active politics and he was elected to Norwich City Council where he led the Lib Dem group until he stood down in 1991 in order to pursue his Westminster ambitions.
Parliamentary career
Lamb at a Liberal Democrat conference in 2008
Having first stood for election in North Norfolk in 1992, when he dented the Conservative majority, he came close to a major shock in the 1997 general election when he reduced a Conservative majority of more than 10,000 to only 1,293 votes. He was finally elected in 2001, at the third attempt, narrowly defeating the incumbent Conservative MP David Prior by 483 votes. He was re-elected in 2005 with a massively increased majority of 10,606, despite an effort by the Conservatives and their candidate Iain Dale to unseat him in what had been one of their top target seats. He was re-elected for a second time in 2010 with a majority of 11,626.
Norman Lamb's first appointment after being elected was as a Lib Dem spokesman on International Development. Soon after this, he was picked out by then Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy to act as his Parliamentary Private Secretary. After the 2005 general election, he was promoted and appointed Liberal Democrat Trade spokesman (2005–2006), securing the endorsement of the Liberal Democrat Spring 2006 Conference for a policy to part-privatise the Royal Mail, and to use the proceeds to invest in a publicly owned Post Office network. In March 2006, he moved to the post of Chief of Staff to the newly elected leader, Sir Menzies Campbell. In December 2006, he became the party's Health spokesman and was succeeded by Ed Davey as Campbell's Chief of Staff. In 2009 he took up the case of an LBC broadcast by Jeni Barnett in which she cast doubt on the safety of the MMR vaccine, tabling an Early Day Motion criticising those involved.[1]
Following the formation of the Cameron Ministry in May 2010, Lamb was appointed a parliamentary private secretary to Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg.[2]
Personal life
He married Mary in 1978, and they have two sons. They live in Norwich. Their son Archie Lamb is co-founder of the independent record label Takeover Entertainment which promotes Tinchy Stryder.[3]
See also
References
External links
- Norman Lamb MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
- Articles authored at Journalisted
- Article archive at The Guardian
- Profile: Norman Lamb, BBC News, 17 October 2002
- Video clips
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
David PriorMember of Parliament for Norfolk North
2001–presentIncumbent Categories:- 1957 births
- Living people
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Liberal Democrat (UK) MPs
- UK MPs 2001–2005
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- UK MPs 2010–
- Alumni of the University of Leicester
- People educated at Wymondham College
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
