John Derek Twigg is a
BritishThe 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 PartyThe 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...
politicianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been the
Member of ParliamentA 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
HaltonHalton is a county constituency in Cheshire, 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.-History:The constituency was created in 1983...
since
1997The 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...
.
Early life
Derek Twigg went to Bankfield High School (now The Bankfield School) in Widnes, and then to Halton College of Further Education (now
Riverside CollegeRiverside College is a further education college based over three sites in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England.The college was estsblished from the merger of Halton College and Widnes & Runcorn Sixth Form College in August 2006...
). He started to work at the age of 16 as a civil servant for the Department for Employment (now the
Department for Employment and LearningThe Department for Employment and Learning , formerly the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment , is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
) in
RuncornRuncorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
for the next 19 years.
At the age of 18 Derek Twigg became the branch secretary to the
Civil and Public Services AssociationThe Civil and Public Services Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom, representing civil servants.The union was founded in 1921, when the Civil Service Clerical Union and the Clerical Officers' Association merged to form the Civil Service Clerical Association. It affiliated with the...
(now part of the
Public and Commercial Services UnionThe Public and Commercial Services Union is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in government departments and other public bodies although some work for private companies.- Membership and organisation :...
) and in 1979 he joined the Labour Party. At the age of 21 he was elected to
Cheshire County CouncilCheshire County Council was a County Council, of the second highest level of United Kingdom Government for the residents of Cheshire. Founded in 1889, it ceased to exist on 1 April 2009, when it and the district councils in Cheshire were replaced by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and...
and continued to be a county councilor until 1985. In 1983 he was elected to
Halton BoroughHalton is a local government district in North West England, with borough status and administered by a unitary authority. It was created in 1974 as a district of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998. It consists of the towns of Widnes and Runcorn and the civil parishes of...
Council. From 1996-7 he was a political consultant.
Parliamentary career
At the
general election in 1997The 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...
Derek Twigg was elected to succeed
Gordon OakesGordon James Oakes was a British Labour Party politician.Oakes was educated at Wade Deacon grammar school, Widnes and at Liverpool University...
as
Member of ParliamentA 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,...
for the
Halton ConstituencyHalton is a county constituency in Cheshire, 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.-History:The constituency was created in 1983...
and made his
maiden speechA maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 10 June 1997. He served as
Parliamentary Private SecretaryA Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to
Helen LiddellHelen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Monklands East from 1994 to 1997, and then for Airdrie and Shotts until 2005, whereafter she became the British High Commissioner to Australia until 2009...
and to
Stephen ByersStephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
and was appointed as a
Government WhipA 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...
in June 2002. In December 2004 Derek Twigg was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Skills and after the
general election in May 2005The 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....
he became Under Secretary of State at the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. In September 2006 he was appointed Under Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans at the
Ministry of DefenceThe Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. In October 2008 he was replaced in this position and, declining the offer of another ministerial post, returned to the
back benchesIn Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
.
Personal life
He married Mary Cassidy in January 1988 in Widnes. They have a son (Sean Twigg born June 1989) and daughter (Megan Twigg born April 1992). Twigg lists his interests outside politics as hill walking, military history, particularly World War Two and Rugby League. A lifelong
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
supporter, he attended the 1989 FA Cup semi-final tie between Liverpool and
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
at the
Hillsborough stadiumHillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
, abandoned six minutes into the game. Twigg watched the unfolding
Hillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
tragedy from the north stand.
External links