Robert William Ainsworth

Biography

Bob Ainsworth was successfully re-elected as MP for Coventry North East on May 6th 2010 with a majority of 11,775 votes.

Ainsworth was born in Coventry and attended the local Foxford Comprehensive School. He first became active in politics as a trade unionist at the Jaguar Cars plant in Coventry, where he worked from 1971, and served in many capacities within the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union there, including four years as the Branch President. During 1982 and 1983, he was a candidate member of the International Marxist Group, but he was never a full member of that organisation. In 1984, he was elected to the Coventry City Council, and was its deputy leader from 1989-1992.

Ainsworth became Labour candidate for Coventry North East in 1992 after the sitting MP, John Hughes, was de-selected by the Constituency Labour Party. Ainsworth was successfully elected with a 11,676 majority, and stepped down from the city council the following year. At the 1997 general election his majority soared to 22,569; falling back to 15,751 at the 2001 election, and 14,222 at the 2005 election.

Ainsworth has been an ever present member of the Labour governments under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. From 1997-2001 he served as a whip, and in the reshuffle following Peter Mandelson's second resignation in January 2001 he was promoted to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the former Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. He served as armed forces minister in the Ministry of Defence before becoming New Labour's last defence secretary under Gordon Brown's premiership.

After the 2001 general election Ainsworth was moved sideways to the Home Office (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary where he remained until 2003 when he became the Deputy Chief Whip (also known as the Treasurer of the Household). On 29 June 2007, he moved to become the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, replacing Adam Ingram.

Ainsworth was appointed to the Privy Council in February 2005.

Constituency

Coventry North East

Twitter

BobAinsworthMP

Constituency Address

3rd Floor, Coventry Point, Market Way, Coventry CV1 1EA

Constituency Tel

024 7622 6707

Date of Birth

19 June 1952

Email

Party

Labour

Personal Website

http://bobainsworthmp.wordpress.com/

Westminster Address

Westminster Tel

020 7219 4047