Jeff Rooker, Baron Rooker
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey William Rooker, Baron Rooker, PC
(born 5 June 1941) is a British politician, who served as the Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Birmingham Perry Barr from 1974
until 2001
. He was later appointed to the House of Lords
, becoming a life peer
with the title "Baron Rooker, of Perry Barr
in the County
of the West Midlands
", where he was appointed to the Government for a year as the Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration
. He resigned the Labour whip in 2009 after being appointed Chairman of the Food Standards Agency and now sits as an Independent member in the House of Lords.
background, his father was a factory worker. He went to Aldridge Road Secondary Modern Boys School (now called Great Barr School
) on Aldridge Road in Great Barr
then Handsworth Technical School and College (became City College Handsworth
) on Goldshill Road in Handsworth
. He initially trained as a production engineer, working in various factories in and around Birmingham
for 14 years and then became a lecturer on the subject at Lanchester Polytechnic
. Lord Rooker is also an alumnus of Aston University
in the city of Birmingham, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2001, he served as Editor of the Birmingham 'Student Union News' (SUN) 1963/4. He also has a post-graduate degree from Warwick University in Industrial Relations. In 1966 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Birmingham City Council.
. Together with Audrey Wise
MP, he introduced the so-called Rooker-Wise Amendment to the Budget
. This linked personal tax allowances to the rate of inflation, thereby preventing the erosion of non-taxable income. The BBC has described the amendment as 'a rare example of direct backbench influence on the Budget'.
Rooker led an unsuccessful attempt to prosecute World War II
German General Wilhelm Mohnke
for alleged war crimes against British troops in 1940.
Rooker served in a number of junior ministerial
posts after 1997, both as an MP and as a member of the House of Lords
. These have been in areas as diverse as agriculture, social security, immigration, local government and Northern Ireland
. In August 2005 he was appointed as the first Minister for Children in Northern Ireland
. He was appointed Minister of State
for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
on 6 May 2006, and he was also responsible for animal welfare. He later served as deputy leader of the House of Lords
, but stood down from the government in October 2008.
Lord Rooker is a Vice President of The Birmingham Civic Society
. As of January 2008, he is a lay governor of Aston University. Rooker was a controversial choice as Minister for Animal Welfare due to his well known pro-hunting views. In 2007, following Rooker's appointment, many emails and letters of complaint from animal welfare campaigners were sent to the Labour Party.
In July 2009 he was appointed as Chair of the Food Standards Agency
and resigned the Labour party whip.
. (He was widowed in January 2003)
He married second wife Helen Hughes on 5 February 2010 in a private ceremony in Christchurch, New Zealand. He has two stepchildren, Alexander and Morwenna.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(born 5 June 1941) is a British politician, who served as the 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...
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 Birmingham Perry Barr from 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
until 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. He was later appointed to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, becoming a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
with the title "Baron Rooker, of Perry Barr
Perry Barr
Perry Barr is an inner-city area in north Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Perry Barr ward and the wards of Handsworth Wood, Lozells and East Handsworth, and Oscott, which elect three councillors to...
in the County
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
", where he was appointed to the Government for a year as the Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration
The Minister of State for Immigration is a Minister of State in the Home Office of the Government of the United Kingdom. The current minister is Damian Green MP who was appointed to his new post following the formation of a coalition government under David Cameron at the 2010 general...
. He resigned the Labour whip in 2009 after being appointed Chairman of the Food Standards Agency and now sits as an Independent member in the House of Lords.
Early life
Rooker is from a working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
background, his father was a factory worker. He went to Aldridge Road Secondary Modern Boys School (now called Great Barr School
Great Barr School
Great Barr School is a co-educational secondary school on Aldridge Road in Great Barr, Birmingham, England for pupils aged 11 to 19. The school is usually the next level for children who attended Great Barr Primary School on the same area site.-History:...
) on Aldridge Road in Great Barr
Great Barr
Great Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall , West Midlands, England...
then Handsworth Technical School and College (became City College Handsworth
City College, Birmingham
City College, Birmingham is an establishment of further education in Birmingham, England.City College Birmingham was formed as result of the merger of Handsworth and East Birmingham colleges in 1998...
) on Goldshill Road in Handsworth
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
. He initially trained as a production engineer, working in various factories in and around Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
for 14 years and then became a lecturer on the subject at Lanchester Polytechnic
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
. Lord Rooker is also an alumnus of Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
in the city of Birmingham, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2001, he served as Editor of the Birmingham 'Student Union News' (SUN) 1963/4. He also has a post-graduate degree from Warwick University in Industrial Relations. In 1966 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Birmingham City Council.
Parliamentary career
Rooker was selected as a parliamentary candidate in October 1971 for his home constituency of Birmingham Perry Barr, which he won in the General Election in February 1974. He achieved a measure of national prominence in June 1977 while still a backbencherBackbencher
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...
. Together with Audrey Wise
Audrey Wise
Audrey Wise was a British Labour Party politician...
MP, he introduced the so-called Rooker-Wise Amendment to the Budget
Government budget
A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...
. This linked personal tax allowances to the rate of inflation, thereby preventing the erosion of non-taxable income. The BBC has described the amendment as 'a rare example of direct backbench influence on the Budget'.
Rooker led an unsuccessful attempt to prosecute World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German General Wilhelm Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke
SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Staff Guard "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, Mohnke rose to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.Mohnke saw action with the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in France, Poland...
for alleged war crimes against British troops in 1940.
Rooker served in a number of junior ministerial
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
posts after 1997, both as an MP and as a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. These have been in areas as diverse as agriculture, social security, immigration, local government and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. In August 2005 he was appointed as the first Minister for Children in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He was appointed Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
on 6 May 2006, and he was also responsible for animal welfare. He later served as deputy leader of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, but stood down from the government in October 2008.
Lord Rooker is a Vice President of The Birmingham Civic Society
The Birmingham Civic Society
The Birmingham Civic Society was founded at an inaugural meeting on 10 June 1918 in The Council House, Birmingham, England and is registered with The Civic Trust. The first President of the Society, the Earl of Plymouth, addressed the assembled Aldermen, Councillors, Architects and other city...
. As of January 2008, he is a lay governor of Aston University. Rooker was a controversial choice as Minister for Animal Welfare due to his well known pro-hunting views. In 2007, following Rooker's appointment, many emails and letters of complaint from animal welfare campaigners were sent to the Labour Party.
In July 2009 he was appointed as Chair of the Food Standards Agency
Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food throughout the United Kingdom and is led by a board appointed to act in the public interest...
and resigned the Labour party whip.
Views
Jeff Rooker has shown himself to be outspokenly in favour of genetically modified (GM) foods. In September 2008, at the Labour Party Conference, he accused people opposed to GM foods of "ignorance"Personal life
He married Angela Edwards in 1972 in PaddingtonPaddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
. (He was widowed in January 2003)
He married second wife Helen Hughes on 5 February 2010 in a private ceremony in Christchurch, New Zealand. He has two stepchildren, Alexander and Morwenna.