Mike Hall (politician)
Encyclopedia
Michael Thomas Hall is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Weaver Vale
from 1997
to 2010.
, Greater Manchester
, and was educated locally at St Mary's RC Primary School (now moved to new premises and re-named "Our Lady of Mount Carmel") and St Damian's Catholic Secondary Modern School
(now St Damian's Science College) on Lees Road, both in Ashton-under-Lyne. He studied at Padgate Training College, Warrington
, where he was awarded a Certificate in Education
in 1977. He later returned to the college, which had been renamed North Cheshire College, where he received a Bachelor of Education
degree in 1987 (the college has since merged with another to become Warrington Collegiate, though its higher education
faculty is now part of the University of Chester
). He completed his studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, where he earned a Postgraduate diploma in education
in 1989.
He joined Imperial Chemical Industries
in Blackley
, Manchester
, in 1969 as a scientific laboratory assistant, leaving to go to university in 1973. He became a history
and physical education
teacher in 1977 in Bolton
, where he remained until he became a support teacher with the Halton
community assessment team from 1985 until his election to Parliament
.
He joined the Labour Party in 1977 and was elected as a councillor
to the Warrington
Borough Council in 1979. He became Warrington's deputy leader in 1984, and leader for seven years from 1985, before standing down in 1993. He was also elected to the Great Sankey
Parish Council for four years from 1979. He served for four years on the Birchwood
and Croft
Parish Council from 1983.
at the 1992 general election
, defeating the sitting Conservative
MP Chris Butler by just 191 votes. He made his maiden speech
on 6 May 1992. Following boundary changes, at the 1997 general election
, he moved from Warrington South to the newly-created, nearby constituency of Weaver Vale
, which covers Northwich
and parts of Runcorn
. He won this seat with a safe 13,448 majority, and continued to hold the seat comfortably, albeit with reduced majorities at each subsequent election.
In Parliament he served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (1992–1997), and became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Leader of the House of Commons
Ann Taylor
following the 1997 General Election. He became a member of the Labour government, under Prime Minister
Tony Blair
, in 1998, when he was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip
. He was sacked following the 2001 General Election
. From 2001 to 2005 he served as PPS to the Secretary of State for Health
, initially under Alan Milburn
and, from 2003, his successor, John Reid. He has been a member of the Culture, Media and Sport
select committee since the 2005 General Election
. From October 2008 onwards he was the PPS to Jack Straw
, the Justice Secretary.
In May 2009, it was reported by The Daily Telegraph
that he claimed expenses in excess of £15,000 over three years for cleaning products.
On 2 February 2010, Hall announced that he was standing down at the next general election for health reasons.
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 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 Weaver Vale
Weaver Vale (UK Parliament constituency)
Weaver Vale is a county 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 :...
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
Mike Hall was born in Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, and was educated locally at St Mary's RC Primary School (now moved to new premises and re-named "Our Lady of Mount Carmel") and St Damian's Catholic Secondary Modern School
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
(now St Damian's Science College) on Lees Road, both in Ashton-under-Lyne. He studied at Padgate Training College, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, where he was awarded a Certificate in Education
Certificate in Education
The Certificate in Education is a professional qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. There have been two incarnations of the Cert Ed over the years.-New Cert Ed:...
in 1977. He later returned to the college, which had been renamed North Cheshire College, where he received a Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
degree in 1987 (the college has since merged with another to become Warrington Collegiate, though its higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
faculty is now part of the University of Chester
University of Chester
The University of Chester is a public research university located in Chester, United Kingdom. The University, based on a main campus in Chester and a smaller campus in Warrington, offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking academic research.Chester...
). He completed his studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, where he earned a Postgraduate diploma in education
Postgraduate Diploma in Education
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education , also known as a Graduate Diploma of Education , is a one-year postgraduate course in several places like Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore for existing bachelor's degree holders leading to become a qualified teacher.The...
in 1989.
He joined Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
in Blackley
Blackley
Blackley is an area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of Manchester city centre, by a meander of the River Irk. Further north is Middleton...
, 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 1969 as a scientific laboratory assistant, leaving to go to university in 1973. He became a history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
teacher in 1977 in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, where he remained until he became a support teacher with the Halton
Halton (borough)
Halton is a local government district in North West England, with borough status and administered by a unitary authority. It was created in 1974 as a district of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998. It consists of the towns of Widnes and Runcorn and the civil parishes of...
community assessment team from 1985 until his election to Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
He joined the Labour Party in 1977 and was elected as a councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
to the Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
Borough Council in 1979. He became Warrington's deputy leader in 1984, and leader for seven years from 1985, before standing down in 1993. He was also elected to the Great Sankey
Great Sankey
Great Sankey is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It is west of Warrington town centre. It has a population of 24,211.-History:...
Parish Council for four years from 1979. He served for four years on the Birchwood
Birchwood
Birchwood is a civil parish in the north-eastern part of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 . Historically a part of Lancashire, it is the easternmost part of the Warrington urban area. It was built during the time of much expansion in Warrington as it became a "new town"...
and Croft
Croft, Cheshire
Croft is a village and civil parish in Warrington, Cheshire, England, about five miles north of Warrington town centre. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 2,920. It is a rural, residential district....
Parish Council from 1983.
Parliamentary career
Hall was elected to the House of Commons for Warrington SouthWarrington South (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:In 2006 Paul Kennedy joined the Conservative Party, becoming a Conservative Councillor on Warrington Borough Council in May 2008, representing the Hatton, Stretton & Walton Ward.-Elections in the 1990s:...
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...
, defeating the sitting 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...
MP Chris Butler by just 191 votes. He 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 6 May 1992. Following boundary changes, at the 1997 general election
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...
, he moved from Warrington South to the newly-created, nearby constituency of Weaver Vale
Weaver Vale (UK Parliament constituency)
Weaver Vale is a county 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 :...
, which covers Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
and parts of Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
. He won this seat with a safe 13,448 majority, and continued to hold the seat comfortably, albeit with reduced majorities at each subsequent election.
In Parliament he served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (1992–1997), and became 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...
(PPS) to the Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton
Winifred Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was Minister for International Defence and Security, based at both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from October 2008 until 11 May 2010.-Member of Parliament:Taylor was the...
following the 1997 General Election. He became a member of the Labour government, under Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
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...
, in 1998, when he was appointed as an Assistant 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 was sacked following 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...
. From 2001 to 2005 he served as PPS to the Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health is a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of Health.The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848 a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and...
, initially under Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Darlington from 1992 until 2010...
and, from 2003, his successor, John Reid. He has been a member of the Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
select committee since the 2005 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....
. From October 2008 onwards he was the PPS to Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
, the Justice Secretary.
In May 2009, it was reported by The Daily 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...
that he claimed expenses in excess of £15,000 over three years for cleaning products.
On 2 February 2010, Hall announced that he was standing down at the next general election for health reasons.