Ian Austin (politician)
| Ian Austin MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Dudley North |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Ross Cranston |
| Majority | 649 (1.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 March 1965 Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Essex |
Ian Christopher Austin (born 8 March 1965) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley North since 2005. He was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2009 to 2010.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Austin was brought up in Dudley and attended The Dudley School from 1977 to 1983, before studying at the University of Essex at Colchester from 1983 to 1986. He is one of four children adopted by Fred Austin (born Fredi Stiller), who was head teacher of The Dudley School from 1975 to 1985, and Margaret Austin.[1]
Keen to obtain a National Union of Journalists card, he took a job with Black Country Publishing in Netherton where his personal interest in sport, especially cycling and football, lead him to work as a journalist on Midland Sport Magazine.
Austin was elected as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in 1991, and served until 1995. He then moved to become press officer for the West Midlands Labour Party until 1998, when he spent a year as Deputy Director of Communications for the Scottish Labour Party.
In 1999 he was appointed a political advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (later Prime Minister), Gordon Brown. He held the position until his election in 2005, and was well known as one of Gordon Brown's closest lieutenants.
[edit] Parliamentary career
Austin was selected as the Labour candidate for Dudley North following the retirement of Ross Cranston, and was elected at the 2005 general election with a majority of 5,432.
Austin was reprimanded by the Speaker of the House of Commons for heckling during Prime Minister's Questions on 18 October 2006, and he was subsequently described by David Cameron as one of Gordon Brown's "boot boys".[2] The following week he was rebuked again by the Speaker for comments made towards the Conservative benches.[3]
Following Gordon Brown becoming prime minister on 27 June 2007, Austin was tipped for a post in Brown's inner circle.[4] The following day he was appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gordon Brown with a special provision to attend cabinet. He was moved to a new position in the 2008 reshuffle, becoming an Assistant Whip for the Government. In the June 2009 reshuflle he entered Government as a minister for the first time, becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government and Minister for the West Midlands.
He narrowly gained re-election at the general election on 6 May 2010, ahead of Conservative Party candidate Graeme Brown. He was the only one of the Dudley borough's four Labour MPs to retain his seat.[5] Austin nominated Ed Balls, who came third, for the Labour leadership election of 2010.
[edit] Personal life
Ian Austin is married with 2 sons and 1 daughter. His family live in Kingswinford in Dudley and their children attend local schools. His listed interests are Cycling, Football and Literature.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ian Austin MP official website
- 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
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ross Cranston |
Member of Parliament for Dudley North 2005–present |
Incumbent |
