Jim Cunningham (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
James Dolan "Jim" Cunningham (born 4 February 1941) is a British
Labour Party
politician
. He is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Coventry South.
and educated locally at the Columba High School (in the same class as fellow Labour MP Tom Clarke) before attending the Trade Union
College in Tillicoultry
. In 1964, he became an engineer
for Rolls-Royce
in Ansty
, joining the Labour Party in 1966 he became a shop steward with the predecessors of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Union in the Rolls-Royce plant from 1968 throughout his service as a councillor and later Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council.
Councillor in 1972 and became the Chair of the Council's Consumer Services Committee from 1975 until 1977. He was also the Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee for three terms, 1975 until 1977, 1979 until 1982 and from 1985 until 1988. He also served as the Vice-Chair of the Leisure Committee from 1975 until 1977, serving as the Chair from 1979 until 1982. He next served as the Vice-Chair of the Transport and Highways Committee from 1983 until 1985 when he became the Chief Whip of the Labour Group on the Council from 1985 until 1987 when he became the Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council. Cunningham left Rolls-Royce
as an engineer and shop steward in 1988 upon his appointment as Leader of the City Council which he served until his election to Parliament
in 1992.
constituency at the 1992 general election
following the expulsion of the sitting Labour MP Dave Nellist
who had now decided to contest the seat as an Independent Labour candidate. The contest proved tough and bitter but Cunningham emerged as the victor with a majority of 1,311 votes over the Conservative
candidate Martine Hyams; Nellist finished third but only by a further 40 votes. Cunningham made his maiden speech
on 12 May 1992 in which he spoke of the social and economic problems of Coventry and criticised the then level of central government resources allocated to the City.
Following reports from the previous year that the Queen was to agree to pay income tax, which Buckingham Palace
and the Prime Minister
denied, he called for the Queen
and other members of the Royal Family
to begin paying income tax
in his letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1992.
He became a member of the Home Affairs
Select Committee from 1993 until 1997. He then served on the Trade and Industry Select Committee from 1997 as well as serving upon the House of Commons Panel of Chairs
from 1998 leaving both upon the 2001 general election
. Cunningham then served on the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee
from 2003 until 2005.
In 2004 he led a Parliamentary campaign to prevent Jaguar Cars closing its Browns Lane assembly plant. This Parliamentary campaign included organising a meeting between several workers of the plant and the Prime Minister
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
as well as Cunningham joining factory workers when they lobbied the Ford
managers at the Paris Motor Show.
Cunningham briefly served on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee
in 2005 until the general election
.
After the election he served on the House of Commons Procedures Select Committee
until 2006 and served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Solicitor General
Mike O'Brien until 2007. Cunningham remained O'Brien's PPS
as O'Brien became a Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2007 until 2008, then a Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change from 2008 until 2009 and as a Minister of State at the Department of Health from 2009 until 2010. Cunningham served on the Standards and Privileges Select Committee in 2010.
He served as the Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Funerals and Bereavement from 2005 until 2010 and is currently the Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Chinese Development.
During the 2009 Parliamentary Expenses Scandal
Cunningham was praised by The Telegraph
which cited his consistently low expenses that made him the 27th lowest claiming MP out of 645 MP's.
In 2011, Cunningham arranged a meeting with the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Peter Luff
, as a response to the Rolls-Royce
announcement that it would lay off one quarter of it's staff at it's Ansty
plant by 2012 due to the UK Defence cuts and the plants reliance upon repairing and servicing RAF
jet engines. As well as these planned redundancies Rolls-Royce also plans temporary redundancies during periods of low activity and having staff work longer without being paid extra. Cunningham questioned what the Government's plans were to secure more work for the plant and met with Union officials and management in order to find a solution to safeguard the plant and it's work force.
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...
. He is 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 Coventry South.
Early life
Cunningham was born in CoatbridgeCoatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
and educated locally at the Columba High School (in the same class as fellow Labour MP Tom Clarke) before attending the Trade Union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
College in Tillicoultry
Tillicoultry
Tillicoultry...
. In 1964, he became an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
for Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
in Ansty
Ansty, Warwickshire
Ansty is a village and civil parish just outside the outskirts of Coventry, about northeast of the city centre. Ansty was part of the County of the City of Coventry until that county was dissolved in 1842....
, joining the Labour Party in 1966 he became a shop steward with the predecessors of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance was a trade union in Britain...
Union in the Rolls-Royce plant from 1968 throughout his service as a councillor and later Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council.
Local government
Cunningham began his political career as a CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
Councillor in 1972 and became the Chair of the Council's Consumer Services Committee from 1975 until 1977. He was also the Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee for three terms, 1975 until 1977, 1979 until 1982 and from 1985 until 1988. He also served as the Vice-Chair of the Leisure Committee from 1975 until 1977, serving as the Chair from 1979 until 1982. He next served as the Vice-Chair of the Transport and Highways Committee from 1983 until 1985 when he became the Chief Whip of the Labour Group on the Council from 1985 until 1987 when he became the Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council. Cunningham left Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
as an engineer and shop steward in 1988 upon his appointment as Leader of the City Council which he served until his election 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 1992.
Parliament
Cunningham was selected to contest the Coventry South EastCoventry South East (UK Parliament constituency)
Coventry South East was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Coventry. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
constituency 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...
following the expulsion of the sitting Labour MP Dave Nellist
Dave Nellist
David John Nellist is a British Trotskyist activist and former Labour Member of Parliament for the now abolished constituency of Coventry South East...
who had now decided to contest the seat as an Independent Labour candidate. The contest proved tough and bitter but Cunningham emerged as the victor with a majority of 1,311 votes over the 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...
candidate Martine Hyams; Nellist finished third but only by a further 40 votes. Cunningham 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...
on 12 May 1992 in which he spoke of the social and economic problems of Coventry and criticised the then level of central government resources allocated to the City.
Following reports from the previous year that the Queen was to agree to pay income tax, which Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
and the Prime Minister
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
denied, he called for the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and other members of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
to begin paying income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
in his letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1992.
He became a member of the Home Affairs
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
Select Committee from 1993 until 1997. He then served on the Trade and Industry Select Committee from 1997 as well as serving upon the House of Commons Panel of Chairs
Panel of Chairs
The Panel of Chairs are members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom responsible for chairing public bill committees and other General Committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall, the parallel debating chamber. The three Deputy Speakers, who are automatically members, are...
from 1998 leaving both upon the 2001 general election
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...
. Cunningham then served on the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee
Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
from 2003 until 2005.
In 2004 he led a Parliamentary campaign to prevent Jaguar Cars closing its Browns Lane assembly plant. This Parliamentary campaign included organising a meeting between several workers of the plant and the Prime Minister
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...
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
as well as Cunningham joining factory workers when they lobbied the Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
managers at the Paris Motor Show.
Cunningham briefly served on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee
Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
The Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is a former United Kingdom parliamentary select committee. It was abolished in 2006 and replaced with the Communities and Local Government Select Committee following the abolition of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which was replaced...
in 2005 until the general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
After the election he served on the House of Commons Procedures Select Committee
Procedure Committee
The Procedure Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to consider the practice and procedure of the House in the conduct of public business.-Membership:...
until 2006 and served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
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 the Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
Mike O'Brien until 2007. Cunningham remained O'Brien's 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...
as O'Brien became a Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2007 until 2008, then a Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change from 2008 until 2009 and as a Minister of State at the Department of Health from 2009 until 2010. Cunningham served on the Standards and Privileges Select Committee in 2010.
He served as the Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Funerals and Bereavement from 2005 until 2010 and is currently the Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Chinese Development.
During the 2009 Parliamentary Expenses Scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
Cunningham was praised by The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
which cited his consistently low expenses that made him the 27th lowest claiming MP out of 645 MP's.
In 2011, Cunningham arranged a meeting with the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Peter Luff
Peter Luff
Peter James Luff MP is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire since the 1997 general election, and was MP Worcester from 1992 until 1997...
, as a response to the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
announcement that it would lay off one quarter of it's staff at it's Ansty
Ansty, Warwickshire
Ansty is a village and civil parish just outside the outskirts of Coventry, about northeast of the city centre. Ansty was part of the County of the City of Coventry until that county was dissolved in 1842....
plant by 2012 due to the UK Defence cuts and the plants reliance upon repairing and servicing RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
jet engines. As well as these planned redundancies Rolls-Royce also plans temporary redundancies during periods of low activity and having staff work longer without being paid extra. Cunningham questioned what the Government's plans were to secure more work for the plant and met with Union officials and management in order to find a solution to safeguard the plant and it's work force.
Family
He has been married to Marion Douglas Podmore since 1985; each has children from previous marriages.External links
- ePolitix - Jim Cunningham MP official site
- Coventry South Constituency Labour Party Local Labour Party site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jim Cunningham MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Jim Cunningham MP
- BBC Politics
- Voting Record at The Public Whip