Denis Murphy (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Denis Murphy is a British
Labour Party
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Wansbeck
from 1997
until 2010.
. He then attended Northumberland College
in Ashington
.
He had previously led Wansbeck District Council. He is a member of the NUM and was the only member of the 1997 intake to be backed by that union. Denis Murphy formerly worked down the mines himself. From 1965-9, he was an apprentice electrician. From 1969-94, he was an electrician at Ellington Colliery in Ellington
, which closed in 2005.
colliery in Northumberland." Ellington Colliery subsequently closed on 26 January 2005.
On 5 November 2009, Murphy announced his decision to stand down at the next general election. His successor in the consituency is Ian Lavery
, the President of the National Union of Mineworkers.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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 Wansbeck
Wansbeck (UK Parliament constituency)
Wansbeck is a parliamentary 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...
until 2010.
Early life
He attended the (Roman Catholic) St Cuthbert's Grammar School on Gretna Road in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. He then attended Northumberland College
Northumberland College
Northumberland College is a further education college based in Ashington, Northumberland, England. The present site opened in 1957, became the County Technical College in 1961, transformed again in 1987, becoming the Northumberland College of Arts and Technology, and finally settled upon its...
in Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
.
He had previously led Wansbeck District Council. He is a member of the NUM and was the only member of the 1997 intake to be backed by that union. Denis Murphy formerly worked down the mines himself. From 1965-9, he was an apprentice electrician. From 1969-94, he was an electrician at Ellington Colliery in Ellington
Ellington, Northumberland
Ellington is a small village on the coast of Northumberland, England. Ellington is four miles from Ashington, six miles from Morpeth and twenty miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne....
, which closed in 2005.
Parliamentary career
On his proudest achievement in government since 1997 Denis Murphy said: "I was proud of the major role I played to secure funding for the UK mining industry, safeguarding hundreds of jobs in my constituency and the future of the last deep mine in the Great Northern coalfield, EllingtonEllington, Northumberland
Ellington is a small village on the coast of Northumberland, England. Ellington is four miles from Ashington, six miles from Morpeth and twenty miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne....
colliery in Northumberland." Ellington Colliery subsequently closed on 26 January 2005.
- Voted for an amendment saying the case for renewing the UK's TridentUK Trident programmeThe UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom's Trident missile-based nuclear weapons programme. Under the programme, the Royal Navy operates 58 nuclear-armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and around 200 nuclear warheads on 4 Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines from...
nuclear submarine system "is not yet proven" and that a decision should be delayed. - Signed Early Day Motion 2699 Freedom of Information, 10 December 2006.
- Has campaigned hard for a local rail service in his constituency, with talks advancing further in early 2007.
On 5 November 2009, Murphy announced his decision to stand down at the next general election. His successor in the consituency is Ian Lavery
Ian Lavery
Ian Lavery is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wansbeck since the 2010 general election. He was previously the President of the National Union of Mineworkers.-Early life:...
, the President of the National Union of Mineworkers.
Personal life
He married Nancy Moffat in 1969 in central Northumberland. They have a son and daughter. They are separated.External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Denis Murphy MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Denis Murphy MP
- Trident rebels
- BBC Politics