Fraser Kemp
Encyclopedia
Fraser Kemp is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Houghton and Washington East from 1997
to 2010, and had previously been a full-time employee of the Labour Party
.
) on Spout Lane in Washington
.
Kemp started work in the civil service from 1975 and was active in the Civil and Public Services Association
trade union and in the Clause Four faction that operated inside the Labour Party. He began working full-time for the Labour Party in 1981, having previously, as a teenager, organised successful local election campaigns.
Appointed as party organiser in Leicester
- where his long rivalry with Chris Rennard began, by 1984 he was an Assistant Regional Organiser in the East Midlands
before being appointed as the, then youngest ever, Regional Organiser for the Labour Party in the West Midlands
in 1986.
In that role he came to prominence as the election agent
responsible for the two of the biggest swings to the Labour Party in history - firstly in the Mid Staffordshire by-election
in 1990 (an election largely fought over the question of the Poll Tax
) and then an even bigger swing in Dudley West by-election
in 1994, not long after Tony Blair
became leader of the Labour Party.
As a result of this success Kemp was posted to the party's headquarters in Millbank Tower
in London and became the party's number two member of staff as General Election Co-ordinator in 1994. He held this post until being selected as Labour candidate for Houghton and Washington East - the constituency where he grew up - in late 1996.
In 2001, Kemp unsuccessfully auditioned to be presenter of chair-based quiz show The Chair.
's Office as a junior whip but was recalled to by-election service in 2004, masterminding, along with his protegé Tom Watson
, Labour's victories over the Liberal Democrats in the Hodge Hill by-election on July 15, 2004 and a much more decisive victory in the Hartlepool by-election
on September 30, 2004.
Kemp was asked to play a significant role in Labour's preparation for the 2005 General Election.
Kemp retired at the 2010 general election, and his constituency disappeared in boundary changes.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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 who was 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 Houghton and Washington East from 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...
to 2010, and had previously been a full-time employee of the 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...
.
Early life
He attended Biddick Primary School and Washington Comprehensive School (now called Washington School, and former school of Bryan FerryBryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
) on Spout Lane in Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
.
Kemp started work in the civil service from 1975 and was active in the Civil and Public Services Association
Civil and Public Services Association
The Civil and Public Services Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom, representing civil servants.The union was founded in 1921, when the Civil Service Clerical Union and the Clerical Officers' Association merged to form the Civil Service Clerical Association. It affiliated with the...
trade union and in the Clause Four faction that operated inside the Labour Party. He began working full-time for the Labour Party in 1981, having previously, as a teenager, organised successful local election campaigns.
Appointed as party organiser in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
- where his long rivalry with Chris Rennard began, by 1984 he was an Assistant Regional Organiser in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
before being appointed as the, then youngest ever, Regional Organiser for the Labour Party in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
in 1986.
In that role he came to prominence as the election agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
responsible for the two of the biggest swings to the Labour Party in history - firstly in the Mid Staffordshire by-election
Mid Staffordshire by-election, 1990
The Mid Staffordshire constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament held a by-election on 22 March 1990. The result was the election of Labour candidate Sylvia Heal to succeed the previous Conservative Member of Parliament John Heddle, who had precipitated the byelection by committing...
in 1990 (an election largely fought over the question of the Poll Tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
) and then an even bigger swing in Dudley West by-election
Dudley West by-election, 1994
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Dudley West on 15 December 1994 following the death of the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament John Blackburn....
in 1994, not long after Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
became leader of the Labour Party.
As a result of this success Kemp was posted to the party's headquarters in Millbank Tower
Millbank Tower
Millbank Tower is a high skyscraper in the City of Westminster at Millbank, on the banks of the River Thames in London, in the United Kingdom. The Tower was constructed in 1963 for Vickers and was originally known as Vickers Tower. It was designed by Ronald Ward and Partners and built by John...
in London and became the party's number two member of staff as General Election Co-ordinator in 1994. He held this post until being selected as Labour candidate for Houghton and Washington East - the constituency where he grew up - in late 1996.
In 2001, Kemp unsuccessfully auditioned to be presenter of chair-based quiz show The Chair.
Parliamentary career
In 2001 Kemp was appointed to the Government WhipWhip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
's Office as a junior whip but was recalled to by-election service in 2004, masterminding, along with his protegé Tom Watson
Tom Watson (politician)
Thomas Anthony Watson is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East since 2001. Watson was a Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2009...
, Labour's victories over the Liberal Democrats in the Hodge Hill by-election on July 15, 2004 and a much more decisive victory in the Hartlepool by-election
Hartlepool by-election, 2004
On 23 July 2004, the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, in England, Peter Mandelson , was nominated as the United Kingdom's new European Commissioner. On 8 September he accepted the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, thereby disqualifying himself from Parliament and causing a by-election...
on September 30, 2004.
Kemp was asked to play a significant role in Labour's preparation for the 2005 General Election.
Kemp retired at the 2010 general election, and his constituency disappeared in boundary changes.