Ashok Kumar (British politician)

Ashok Kumar MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
In office 1 May 1997 – 15 March 2010
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Tom Blenkinsop
Member of Parliament for Langbaurgh
In office 7 November 1991 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Richard Holt
Succeeded by	Michael Walton Bates
Personal details
Born	28 May 1956 Uttar Pradesh, India
Died	15 March 2010 (aged 53) Marton, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, UK
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Residence	Marton, Middlesbrough
Alma mater	Aston University
Profession	Research scientist
Religion	Humanist

Ashok Kumar (28 May 1956 – 15 March 2010) was an Indian-born British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland from 1997 until his death shortly before the 2010 general election.

Early life

Kumar was born in Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh, India, to Jagat Ram Saini and Santosh Kumari, who immigrated to Derby with him when he was two. He attended Rykneld Boys' Secondary Modern School (later merged with Bemrose Grammar School and now Bemrose Community School), Derby. He left at 15 with 2 O-levels. He returned to education and attended Derby & District College of Art & Technology then studied chemical engineering at Aston University, Birmingham where he was awarded a BSc in 1978, and an MSc in Process Analysis and Control Theory in 1980, and a PhD in Fluid Mechanics in 1982. The thesis title was Velocity distributions in a plate heat exchanger. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Energy Institute.

He was a Research Fellow at Imperial College London (1982–5) and worked as a research scientist at British Steel, Middlesbrough from 1985 to 1997.

Political career

He began his political career as a local councillor for Middlesbrough Borough Council (1987–97). He became the MP for Langbaurgh at the 1991 Langbaurgh by-election, but lost the seat to the Conservative candidate in the 1992 election. He won Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland at the 1997 election, and held it until his death in 2010.

He was a Member of Parliamentary Scientific Committee; Vice-Chair of Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies; Chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST); and Chair of Northern Group of Labour MPs.

In June 2010 IChemE (the Institution of Chemical Engineers) and NEPIC (the North East Process Industries Cluster) launched the Ashok Kumar fellowship post in memory of Kumar. The annual fellowship will see the successful candidate spend three months at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST).

Personal life

Ashok Kumar was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and supported the Labour Friends of Israel. Of Hindu and Sikh descent, he described himself as a lifelong "liberal humanist". He listed his recreations as "Cricket, badminton, reading history and philosophy, listening to jazz". Aston University gave him an honorary degree in July 1997.

Kumar never married. He lived in Marton, Middlesbrough.

Death

Kumar was found dead by police in his constituency home in Canberra Road, Marton on 15 March 2010. Police announced that he had died from natural causes.

External links

• Personal website
• GuardianUnlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Ashok Kumar MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com – Ashok Kumar MP
• BBC Politics
• The Ashok Kumar Fellowship

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Richard Holt	Member of Parliament for Langbaurgh 1991–1992	Succeeded by Michael Bates
Preceded by Constituency Created	Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 1997–2010	Succeeded by Tom Blenkinsop