Graham Stringer
Encyclopedia
Graham Eric Stringer is a British
Labour Party
politician
who is the current Member of Parliament
(MP) for Blackley and Broughton
having previously represented Manchester Blackley
from 1997
to 2010.
/Monsall.
After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry
from the University of Sheffield
in 1971, Stringer worked as an analytical chemist.
Stringer became a local councillor in Manchester
in 1979, and was Manchester City Council
leader from 1984 to 1996. He was also chair of Manchester Airport plc from 1996 to 1997.
of the retired Kenneth Eastham
. He is only the third MP in the constituency since 1964, which has been a "safe" Labour seat since Paul Rose
defeated Eric Johnson that year.
Stringer's first role in the Labour government was as a member of the Environment, Transport and Regions Select Committee until 1999. He then served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office
until 2001. After a spell on the back benches
and as a government whip
, he spent the last six years of the Labour Government as a member of the Transport Committee. Although he was on the Transport Committee he campaigned against a proposed Congestion Charge in Greater Manchester. .
Stringer gained some notoriety when he became the first MP to publicly call for Gordon Brown to resign as Prime Minister. Following boundary changes which abolished the Manchester Blackley constituency, Stringer successfully contested the successor seats of Blackley and Broughton at the 2010 general election.
, calling it "a cruel fiction" invented by "the education establishment" to divert blame for illiteracy from "their eclectic and incomplete methods for instruction". The charities Dyslexia Action and the British Dyslexia Association criticised Stringer's claims.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who is the current 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 Blackley and Broughton
Blackley and Broughton (UK Parliament constituency)
Blackley and Broughton is a parliamentary 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:...
having previously represented Manchester Blackley
Manchester Blackley (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester, Blackley was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
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.
Early life
Stringer attended Christ Church Primary School in Beswick, Manchester and then went to Moston Brook High School for Boys (closed in August 2000) on Northampton Road in HarpurheyHarpurhey
-Landmarks:Harpurhey Edwardian Swimming Baths, situated on Rochdale Road was built between 1909-10 by Henry Price, Manchester's first City Architect. Listed grade II in, the baths were closed to the public in 2001 after serious defects were discovered and the entrance building is currently being...
/Monsall.
After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
from the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
in 1971, Stringer worked as an analytical chemist.
Stringer became a local councillor in 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...
in 1979, and was Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
leader from 1984 to 1996. He was also chair of Manchester Airport plc from 1996 to 1997.
Parliamentary career
Stringer was first elected in 1997 taking over the Blackley seatManchester Blackley (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester, Blackley was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
of the retired Kenneth Eastham
Kenneth Eastham
Kenneth Eastham is a British Labour politician. He was a planning Engineer for GEC at Trafford Park, Manchester, and a Manchester City councillor for eighteen years...
. He is only the third MP in the constituency since 1964, which has been a "safe" Labour seat since Paul Rose
Paul Rose (UK politician)
Paul Bernard Rose was a British Labour Party politician and a leading campaigner against the politics of the National Front....
defeated Eric Johnson that year.
Stringer's first role in the Labour government was as a member of the Environment, Transport and Regions Select Committee until 1999. He then served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
until 2001. After a spell on the back benches
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
and as a government whip
Whip (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...
, he spent the last six years of the Labour Government as a member of the Transport Committee. Although he was on the Transport Committee he campaigned against a proposed Congestion Charge in Greater Manchester. .
Stringer gained some notoriety when he became the first MP to publicly call for Gordon Brown to resign as Prime Minister. Following boundary changes which abolished the Manchester Blackley constituency, Stringer successfully contested the successor seats of Blackley and Broughton at the 2010 general election.
Personal life
On 7 January 1999 he married Kathryn Carr in New Orleans; the couple have one son.Views on dyslexia
In a 2009 online column, Stringer denied the existence of dyslexiaDyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, calling it "a cruel fiction" invented by "the education establishment" to divert blame for illiteracy from "their eclectic and incomplete methods for instruction". The charities Dyslexia Action and the British Dyslexia Association criticised Stringer's claims.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Graham Stringer MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Graham Stringer MP
- Bio at the Labour Party website
- BBC Politics