Clive Efford
Encyclopedia
Clive Stanley Efford is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Eltham
since 1997
.
and educated at the Walworth
Comprehensive School
and Southwark College
. He worked in his family jewellery
business, until he completed The Knowledge and qualified as London taxi driver in 1987. In 1986, he became an elected councillor
in the London Borough of Greenwich
, and continued in both these occupations until being elected to Parliament
in 1997.
of Eltham
at the 1992 general election
, but was defeated by the sitting Conservative
Peter Bottomley
by 1,666 votes. He again contested Eltham five years later in 1997
, whilst Bottomley contested the safer Conservative seat of Worthing West. Efford gained Eltham for Labour by a majority of 10,182. He won the seat at the ensuing general elections in 2001, 2005 and 2010, with his majority declining after each.
He made his maiden speech
in the House of Commons
on 25 June 1997. Almost as soon as he was elected, he was required to deal with the fallout from the family of murdered Eltham teenager Stephen Lawrence registering a formal complaint with the Police Complaints Authority
, with the police officers in question facing allegations of racism.
In Parliament, he has served on a number of Select Committees, most notably being a member of the Transport Select Committee
from 2002 to 2010. In 2003, he was one of the Labour MPs who rebelled against the government and voted against UK involvement in the Iraq War. In 2005, Efford was responsible for the reformation of the previously defunct Tribune Group
, though unlike its previous incarnation, membership was restricted to backbench Labour MPs. He was one of the first MPs to declare his support for Ed Miliband
, the successful candidate, in the 2010 Labour leadership election. Miliband appointed him to the Opposition Front Bench in 2011 as a Shadow Home Office Minister under new Shadow Home Secretary
Yvette Cooper
.
In the reshuffle of 2011, he became the Shadow Minister for Sport
and a qualified football
coach. Efford has been married to Gillian Vallins since 1981 and they have three daughters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Eltham
Eltham (UK Parliament constituency)
Eltham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
since 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
Early life
Efford was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at the Walworth
Walworth, London
Walworth is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Southwark. Walworth probably derives its name from the Old English "Wealhworth" which meant Welsh farm. It is located south east of Charing Cross and near to Camberwell and Elephant and Castle.The major streets in Walworth are the Old...
Comprehensive School
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
and Southwark College
Southwark College
Southwark College is a further education college in the London Borough of Southwark. The College has several sites:* Waterloo Centre ;* Bermondsey Centre;* Camberwell Centre -Courses:...
. He worked in his family jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
business, until he completed The Knowledge and qualified as London taxi driver in 1987. In 1986, he became an elected councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
, and continued in both these occupations until being elected to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1997.
Political career
Efford first contested the marginal seatMarginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
of Eltham
Eltham (UK Parliament constituency)
Eltham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, but was defeated by the sitting Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Peter Bottomley
Peter Bottomley
Sir Peter James Bottomley is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Worthing West...
by 1,666 votes. He again contested Eltham five years later in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, whilst Bottomley contested the safer Conservative seat of Worthing West. Efford gained Eltham for Labour by a majority of 10,182. He won the seat at the ensuing general elections in 2001, 2005 and 2010, with his majority declining after each.
He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
on 25 June 1997. Almost as soon as he was elected, he was required to deal with the fallout from the family of murdered Eltham teenager Stephen Lawrence registering a formal complaint with the Police Complaints Authority
Police Complaints Authority
The Police Complaints Authority , was an independent body in the United Kingdom with the power to investigate public complaints against the Police in England and Wales as well as related matters of public concern...
, with the police officers in question facing allegations of racism.
In Parliament, he has served on a number of Select Committees, most notably being a member of the Transport Select Committee
Transport Committee
The Transport Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies.-Membership:As of 18 July 2011,...
from 2002 to 2010. In 2003, he was one of the Labour MPs who rebelled against the government and voted against UK involvement in the Iraq War. In 2005, Efford was responsible for the reformation of the previously defunct Tribune Group
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
, though unlike its previous incarnation, membership was restricted to backbench Labour MPs. He was one of the first MPs to declare his support for Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, the successful candidate, in the 2010 Labour leadership election. Miliband appointed him to the Opposition Front Bench in 2011 as a Shadow Home Office Minister under new Shadow Home Secretary
Shadow Home Secretary
In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who 'shadows' the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, immigration, the criminal justice system, the prison service, and...
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having previously been MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010. She is the Shadow Home Secretary...
.
In the reshuffle of 2011, he became the Shadow Minister for Sport
Personal life
He is a keen supporter of Millwall F.C.Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and a qualified football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
coach. Efford has been married to Gillian Vallins since 1981 and they have three daughters.