Gordon Birtwistle
Encyclopedia
Gordon Birtwistle is a British
Liberal Democrat
politician
. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Burnley
, England, from May 2010. He currently serves as PPS
to Danny Alexander
, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
. Birtwistle took Burnley from Labour
for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 General Election, with a 12% swing and 1,818 majority.
who were textile machinery manufacturers in Accrington
. He studied engineering at Accrington College on one day release and two nights a week and achieved two higher nationals, one in mechanical engineering and one in production engineering.
At the age of 21 Gordon became a jig and tool draftsman with the same company and stayed there until 1968 when he went to work for Lucas Aerospace in Burnley
as a machine shop methods engineer. He stayed there until aged 30 when he became a technical representative for Osborne Mushet Tools in Sheffield
, who were manufacturers of metal cutting tools.
After 5 years Gordon left to set up his own company called C&G Cutter Grinding Services in Blackburn. Birtwistle sold this company in the mid 1980s to a large engineering PLC
whom he continued to work for. After 4 years he set up P&J Engineering Supplies, buying and selling engineering tools. In the late 1990s Gordon bought Stewart Engineering (precision engineers) with a partner. This later folded due to a bad debt in 2002. P&J is still in existence but Gordon retired in 2008 and became an MP in 2010.
Before entering Parliament
he had been Burnley
Council leader since 2006
, and as a local councillor since 1982. He originally entered politics as a Labour
councillor in the 1970s.
to Burnley
General Hospital; bringing new high-value jobs and firms to Burnley; and reinstating direct rail travel between Burnley and Manchester
.
Gordon has enjoyed some success with the reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve which would enable a direct rail link between Manchester and Burnley. The 500 metre stretch of track, unused since the 1960s, is on course to be rebuilt by 2013 and it is currently expected to have trains running direct from Burnley to Manchester from 2014.
Gordon has continued to encourage manufactoring jobs and firms to invest in Burnley, hosting a manufacturing summit for the North West region in Burnley in June 2011 and expressing ambitions to hold an exhibition of Burnley's manufacturing strength in 2012.
He was one of the Lib Dem
MPs who voted for the reforms to student tuition fees, citing economic and political necessity. He argued to student audiences in talks given at Burnley educational facilities that the changes were an improvement on the previous system and that many people from Burnley would actually end up paying less under the new arrangement.
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...
Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Burnley
Burnley (UK Parliament constituency)
Burnley is a borough constituency centred on the town of Burnley in Lancashire, which is 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....
, England, from May 2010. He currently serves as PPS
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Danny Alexander
Danny Alexander
Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
. Birtwistle took Burnley from Labour
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...
for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 General Election, with a 12% swing and 1,818 majority.
Career
Gordon started as a craft engineering apprentice in 1958 with Howard & BulloughHoward & Bullough
Howard & Bullough was a firm of textile machine manufacturers in Accrington, Lancashire. They were the world's major manufacturer of power looms in the 1860s.-History:...
who were textile machinery manufacturers in Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
. He studied engineering at Accrington College on one day release and two nights a week and achieved two higher nationals, one in mechanical engineering and one in production engineering.
At the age of 21 Gordon became a jig and tool draftsman with the same company and stayed there until 1968 when he went to work for Lucas Aerospace in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
as a machine shop methods engineer. He stayed there until aged 30 when he became a technical representative for Osborne Mushet Tools in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, who were manufacturers of metal cutting tools.
After 5 years Gordon left to set up his own company called C&G Cutter Grinding Services in Blackburn. Birtwistle sold this company in the mid 1980s to a large engineering PLC
PLC
-Business:* Public limited company, a type of limited company whose shares may be sold to the public* Program length commercial, or infomercial* Product life cycle, the succession of stages a product goes through...
whom he continued to work for. After 4 years he set up P&J Engineering Supplies, buying and selling engineering tools. In the late 1990s Gordon bought Stewart Engineering (precision engineers) with a partner. This later folded due to a bad debt in 2002. P&J is still in existence but Gordon retired in 2008 and became an MP in 2010.
Before entering Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
he had been Burnley
Burnley (borough)
Burnley is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a non-metropolitan district and borough. It has an area of and a population of , and is named for its largest town, Burnley. The borough is bounded by Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Pendle, Rossendale — all in Lancashire...
Council leader since 2006
Burnley Council election, 2006
Elections to Burnley Council in Lancashire, England were held on 4 May 2006. One third of the council was up for election, with by-elections in the Bank Hall and Brunshaw wards. The by-elections followed the resignations of Labour councilor Caroline Kavanagh and BNP turned independent with links...
, and as a local councillor since 1982. He originally entered politics as a Labour
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...
councillor in the 1970s.
Election Aims
On election his three main aims were returning the A&EEmergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
to Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
General Hospital; bringing new high-value jobs and firms to Burnley; and reinstating direct rail travel between Burnley and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Gordon has enjoyed some success with the reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve which would enable a direct rail link between Manchester and Burnley. The 500 metre stretch of track, unused since the 1960s, is on course to be rebuilt by 2013 and it is currently expected to have trains running direct from Burnley to Manchester from 2014.
Gordon has continued to encourage manufactoring jobs and firms to invest in Burnley, hosting a manufacturing summit for the North West region in Burnley in June 2011 and expressing ambitions to hold an exhibition of Burnley's manufacturing strength in 2012.
He was one of the Lib Dem
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
MPs who voted for the reforms to student tuition fees, citing economic and political necessity. He argued to student audiences in talks given at Burnley educational facilities that the changes were an improvement on the previous system and that many people from Burnley would actually end up paying less under the new arrangement.
External links
- Burnley Liberal Democrats
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats