Stephen Twigg
Encyclopedia
Stephen Twigg is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Labour Co-operative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997
to 2005
, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997 by winning the seat of then-Defence Secretary
Michael Portillo
. Twigg was made the Minister of State
for School Standards
in 2004, a job he held until he lost his seat in 2005. He returned to parliament in 2010, after he was elected Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby. Following Ed Miliband
's election to the Labour leadership, he made Twigg a Shadow Foreign Office Minister. In his October 2011 reshuffle, Miliband promoted Twigg to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Education.
Primary School and Southgate
Secondary School, a comprehensive school
, and at Balliol College, Oxford
, where he studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
.
He became the youngest and first openly gay
president of the National Union of Students in 1990 representing the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS). He was re-elected in 1991.
On leaving the NUS he became a councillor
in the London Borough of Islington
, and was also Chief Whip
, and briefly Deputy Leader
. He worked for the UK section of Amnesty International
and then for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations
.
he was elected to Parliament
for Enfield Southgate, the constituency in which he had been born and raised, with a majority
of 1,433. There had been a large 17.4% swing to him from his Conservative
opponent, Michael Portillo
. For many, Portillo (widely tipped to be the next Tory leader) losing his seat was the most iconic moment of the election; a book of the election by Brian Cathcart was titled Were You Still Up for Portillo? In the Royal Festival Hall
in London, the scene of the party celebrations that evening, the result elicited a massive cheer, as Portillo was not only a cabinet minister, but also was widely tipped as a future leader of the Conservative Party. Twigg was forced to give up his role as general secretary of the Fabian Society
following this unexpected victory in what had been regarded as a safe Conservative seat. Twigg was the first man to be openly gay at the time of his election to the House of Commons when he was elected at the 1997 general election: it was a close contest for this record, as just 21 minutes later Ben Bradshaw
, also openly gay, was elected for Exeter
.
In the 2001 election
Twigg held the seat with an increased majority of 5,546 over Conservative John Flack. Following the 2001 election, Twigg was appointed Parliamentary Secretary
to the Leader of the House of Commons
, Robin Cook
, and in 2002 became a junior minister in the Department for Education and Skills. In 2004, in the government changes following the resignation of David Blunkett
, he was promoted to Minister of State
for school standards.
Whilst an MP he served as chairman of two All Party Parliamentary Groups - on epilepsy
and on youth issues. He is a former chairman of Labour Friends of Israel
.
In the 2005 election
, Twigg lost his seat to the Conservative Party candidate, David Burrowes
, by a margin of 1,747 votes (a swing of 8.7%). During his concession speech, Twigg claimed that he would not be the last Labour MP for Enfield Southgate.
for being drunk and incapable in a public place and taken to Marylebone
police station. He was fined £50. Twigg commented "I had had a lot to drink and I think it [the police action] was sensible. I have no complaints whatsoever. I take full responsibility for my actions."
Twigg became chairman of Progress
, an independent organisation for Labour party members, and director of the Foreign Policy Centre
, a think tank
which develops long-term multilateral approaches to global problems. Twigg is the campaigns director of the Aegis Trust
, in their educational and campaigning work against genocide
. He is also a patron of the Workers Educational Association. He is a trustee of the Liverpool-based domestic violence charity Chrysalis.
candidate for the Liverpool West Derby constituency at the 2010 general election. He was elected with a majority of 18,467, garnering 64.1% of the vote.
In October 2010 he unsuccessfully contested the election
for the Shadow Cabinet, coming in 36th out of the 49 candidates and winning 55 votes. He was subsequently appointed to the Labour front bench as a shadow minister in the Foreign Affairs team.
On 7 October 2011 he was appointed to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Education, following the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.
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...
who has been the Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
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 Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate 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 2005
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....
, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997 by winning the seat of then-Defence Secretary
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
. Twigg was made the 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 School Standards
Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
in 2004, a job he held until he lost his seat in 2005. He returned to parliament in 2010, after he was elected Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby. Following Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's election to the Labour leadership, he made Twigg a Shadow Foreign Office Minister. In his October 2011 reshuffle, Miliband promoted Twigg to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Education.
Early life
Twigg was educated at Grange ParkGrange Park, Enfield
Grange Park is a suburban part of Greater London in the London Borough of Enfield, United Kingdom. It is served by Grange Park railway station. Grange Park is located between Enfield Town to the north Bush Hill to the east, Southgate and World's End to the west, and Winchmore Hill to the south. It...
Primary School and Southgate
Southgate, London
Southgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
Secondary School, a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
, and at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
.
He became the youngest and first openly gay
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
president of the National Union of Students in 1990 representing the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS). He was re-elected in 1991.
On leaving the NUS he became 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:...
in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, and was also Chief 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...
, and briefly Deputy Leader
Deputy Leader
A deputy leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. Deputy leaders often become deputy prime minister when their parties are elected to government. In opposition, deputy leaders often lead Question Time sessions when the party leader is...
. He worked for the UK section of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and then for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations
National Council for Voluntary Organisations
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an environment in which an independent civil society can flourish...
.
MP for Enfield Southgate: 1997-2005
In the 1997 electionUnited 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 was elected 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...
for Enfield Southgate, the constituency in which he had been born and raised, with a majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of 1,433. There had been a large 17.4% swing to him from his 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...
opponent, Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
. For many, Portillo (widely tipped to be the next Tory leader) losing his seat was the most iconic moment of the election; a book of the election by Brian Cathcart was titled Were You Still Up for Portillo? In the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London, the scene of the party celebrations that evening, the result elicited a massive cheer, as Portillo was not only a cabinet minister, but also was widely tipped as a future leader of the Conservative Party. Twigg was forced to give up his role as general secretary of the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
following this unexpected victory in what had been regarded as a safe Conservative seat. Twigg was the first man to be openly gay at the time of his election to the House of Commons when he was elected at the 1997 general election: it was a close contest for this record, as just 21 minutes later Ben Bradshaw
Ben Bradshaw
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw is a British Labour politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Exeter since 1997, and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport....
, also openly gay, was elected for Exeter
Exeter (UK Parliament constituency)
Exeter is a borough 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....
.
In the 2001 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...
Twigg held the seat with an increased majority of 5,546 over Conservative John Flack. Following the 2001 election, Twigg was appointed Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
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...
, Robin Cook
Robin Cook
Robert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
, and in 2002 became a junior minister in the Department for Education and Skills. In 2004, in the government changes following the resignation of David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
, he was promoted to 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 school standards.
Whilst an MP he served as chairman of two All Party Parliamentary Groups - on epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and on youth issues. He is a former chairman of Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
.
In the 2005 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....
, Twigg lost his seat to the Conservative Party candidate, David Burrowes
David Burrowes
David John Barrington Burrowes is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate, Parliamentary chairman of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, and an Officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.-Early life:David Burrowes was born in Cockfosters...
, by a margin of 1,747 votes (a swing of 8.7%). During his concession speech, Twigg claimed that he would not be the last Labour MP for Enfield Southgate.
Non-parliamentary career: 2005-2010
On 12 December 2005, Twigg was arrested in central LondonCentral London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
for being drunk and incapable in a public place and taken to Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
police station. He was fined £50. Twigg commented "I had had a lot to drink and I think it [the police action] was sensible. I have no complaints whatsoever. I take full responsibility for my actions."
Twigg became chairman of Progress
Progress (organisation)
Progress is a political organisation linked to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1996. It is broadly viewed as supportive of the leadership of the party, being pro-former leader Tony Blair...
, an independent organisation for Labour party members, and director of the Foreign Policy Centre
Foreign Policy Centre
The Foreign Policy Centre is a British think tank specialising in foreign policy. It was formed in 1998 and launched by Tony Blair with the aim of developing a "vision of a fair and rule-based world order". It is pro-European. It has its origins on the centre-left of British politics, but works...
, a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
which develops long-term multilateral approaches to global problems. Twigg is the campaigns director of the Aegis Trust
Aegis Trust
Aegis Trust, founded in 2000, is the leading British NGO which campaigns to prevent genocide worldwide. Based at the United Kingdom’s Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1995, the Aegis Trust coordinates the UK Genocide Prevention All-Party Parliamentary Group , funds the Genocide Prevention Group ...
, in their educational and campaigning work against genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
. He is also a patron of the Workers Educational Association. He is a trustee of the Liverpool-based domestic violence charity Chrysalis.
MP for Liverpool West Derby: 2010-present
Twigg was selected as the Labour Co-operativeLabour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
candidate for the Liverpool West Derby constituency at the 2010 general election. He was elected with a majority of 18,467, garnering 64.1% of the vote.
In October 2010 he unsuccessfully contested the election
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.A separate election for...
for the Shadow Cabinet, coming in 36th out of the 49 candidates and winning 55 votes. He was subsequently appointed to the Labour front bench as a shadow minister in the Foreign Affairs team.
On 7 October 2011 he was appointed to the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Education, following the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.
External links
- Stephen Twigg MP official constituency website
- Column archive at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Foreign Policy Centre
- Stephen Twigg at The Knitting Circle
- Television coverage of Twigg's defeat of Portillo in the 1997 general election