James Dolan Cunningham

Biography

Jim Cunningham was re-elected MP for Coventry South in May 2010 with a majority of 3,845 votes.

Jim Cunningham MP was born in Coatbridge and educated locally at the Columba High School, before attending the Trade Union College in Tillicoultry. In 1964, he joined Rolls-Royce in Ansty as an engineer and remained there until he took up politics full time in 1988. He joined the Labour Party in 1966 and was a Rolls-Royce shop steward with the predecessors of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance (MSF) Union for twenty years from 1968. He was elected a councillor to the Coventry City Council in 1972, becoming deputy leader in 1987 and its leader in 1988 and remained a councillor and its leader until his election to parliament. He was the secretary of the Coventry South East Constituency Labour Party in 1976, becoming chairman 1977-1979.

Jim Cunningham MP was selected to contest the Coventry South East constituency at the 1992 general election. He came in as the victor with a majority of 1,311 votes over the Conservative candidate Martine Hyams; he has remained an MP since. He made his maiden speech on May 12, 1992. After boundary changes his constituency was abolished but he has represented the new seat of Coventry South since the 1997 general election.

He became a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1993, and both the Trade and Industry Select Committee and the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen after 1997 until the 2001 general election. He joined the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee in 2003. After the 2005 General Election he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Solicitor General Mike O'Brien. Jim Cunningham MP has remained PPS to Mike O'Brien; in the Department for Work and Pensions and latterly the Department for Energy and climate change (since October 2008).

Constituency

Coventry South

Twitter

Constituency Address

2nd Floor, Palmer House, Palmer Lane, Burges, Coventry, CV1 1AJ

Constituency Tel

02476 553 159

Date of Birth

4 February 1941

Email

holdcroftj@parliament.uk

Party

Labour

Personal Website

http://www.labourincoventry.org.uk/south/

Westminster Address

House of Commons, LONDON, SW1A 0AA

Westminster Tel

0207 219 6362