Philip Woolas no longer a Member of Parliament. This page has not been updated since 2015.
Biography:
On 5 November 2010, he was found to have breached the Representation of the People Act 1983 in the course of the 2010 general election. As a result his victory at the 2010 general election campaign was declared void, he lost his seat in the House of Commons, and was barred from standing again for 3 years.
Philip Woolas was re-elected MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth in May 2010 with a majority of 103 votes.
Phil was elected Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth in 1997.
He is married to Tracey and has two sons. He lives in Lees and London.
Brought up in Burnley, he originally hails from Scunthorpe where his late father and all his family worked in the steel mills. His mother was a school dinner lady and is now retired.
Phil Woolas began in local politics when he was 16 by getting involved in a campaign to get a pelican crossing outside his school. He says he’s in politics “to fight for equality and the belief that if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us”.
Educated at Manchester University, he worked in television (where he became Jeremy Paxman’s producer). Then for 10 years worked as a national officer for the GMB union.
Phil says his best achievement in Parliament was being one of the team who introduced the national minimum wage. Locally, he is proud of getting £5 million grants for disabled school students’ equipment. His successful campaign for the new cancer centre in Oldham comes a close second.
Football is a passion. Phil is a lifelong Manchester United fan (including “when we were relegated!”). Many agree Phil’s intervention saved Rugby League in Oldham when he persuaded the taxman to hold off from the Roughyeds. He has also championed the cause of Oldham Athletic.
Constituency: Oldham East and Saddleworth
Date of Birth: 11 December 1959
Party: Labour
