Jeffrey Ennis
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Ennis is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Barnsley East and Mexborough from 1997
to 2010, having been first elected at the Barnsley East by-election
in 1996.
, near Barnsley
in Yorkshire
, the son of a coal miner
and educated at the Hemsworth
Grammar School on Station Road (which became Hemsworth High School and since 2001, the Hemsworth Arts and Community College) before attending the Redland Teachers Training College
near Bristol
where he was awarded a Bachelor of Education
degree in 1975. After leaving education he became a raw materials inspector with J. Lyons and Co.
bakery in 1975 at Carlton
, before becoming a teacher
in 1976 initially at the Elston Hall Junior School
in Fordhouses
, Wolverhampton
. In 1978, he moved to teach at the Burngreave
Middle School in Sheffield
, and from 1979 until his election he taught at Hillsborough Primary School in Sheffield
.
in 1980, becoming the deputy leader in 1988, and was leader 1995-1996, standing down from the council in 1997.
Ennis was elected to the House of Commons at the 1996 Barnsley East by-election
following the death of Terry Patchett
. Jeff Ennis held the seat at the 12 December 1996 by-election
with a majority of 13,181. He made his maiden speech
on 14 January 1997. A few months after his election to Westminster
he had to go back to his electorate at the 1997 general election
for the newly drawn Barnsley East and Mexborough seat, following the redrawing of boundaries and the abolishment of the former Barnsley East.
Following the 1997 general election
, Ennis was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Minister of State
at the Department of Health
Tessa Jowell
, and then in her capacity of Minister of State at the Department for Education and Employment. He became a member of the Education & Skills Select Committee
following the 2001 general election
.
In July 2007, he was appointed the PPS to the Minister for the Cabinet Office
Ed Miliband
.
On 9 February 2010, Ennis announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.
movement and was a branch chairman of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers
(NASUWT) 1979-1996 and has been a member of the Transport and General Workers Union since 1997. He has lived in his Barnsley
constituency for much of his life, and is a supporter of Barnsley F.C.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 Barnsley East and Mexborough 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...
to 2010, having been first elected at the Barnsley East by-election
Barnsley East by-election, 1996
The Barnsley East by-election was held on 12 December 1996, following the death of the Labour Party Member of Parliament Terry Patchett for Barnsley East, in South Yorkshire, England, on 11 October....
in 1996.
Early life and education
Ennis was born in GrimethorpeGrimethorpe
Grimethorpe is a large village which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,873....
, near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, the son of a coal miner
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and educated at the Hemsworth
Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a small town and civil parish on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the City of Wakefield, and has a population of 13,311....
Grammar School on Station Road (which became Hemsworth High School and since 2001, the Hemsworth Arts and Community College) before attending the Redland Teachers Training College
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
where he was awarded a Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
degree in 1975. After leaving education he became a raw materials inspector with J. Lyons and Co.
J. Lyons and Co.
J. Lyons & Co. was a market-dominant British restaurant-chain, food-manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1887 as a spin-off from the Salmon & Gluckstein tobacco company....
bakery in 1975 at Carlton
Carlton, South Yorkshire
Carlton is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated between the villages of Athersley and Royston....
, before becoming a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
in 1976 initially at the Elston Hall Junior School
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
in Fordhouses
Fordhouses
Fordhouses is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is situated to the north of the city centre, adjacent to the border with Staffordshire, within the Bushbury North ward of Wolverhampton City Council...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. In 1978, he moved to teach at the Burngreave
Burngreave
Burngreave ward—which includes the districts of Burngreave, Fir Vale, Grimesthorpe, Pitsmoor, and Shirecliffe—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area of 7.3 km2. The population of this ward in...
Middle School in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, and from 1979 until his election he taught at Hillsborough Primary School in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
Political career
Ennis was elected as councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of BarnsleyMetropolitan Borough of Barnsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is Barnsley....
in 1980, becoming the deputy leader in 1988, and was leader 1995-1996, standing down from the council in 1997.
Ennis was elected to the House of Commons at the 1996 Barnsley East by-election
Barnsley East by-election, 1996
The Barnsley East by-election was held on 12 December 1996, following the death of the Labour Party Member of Parliament Terry Patchett for Barnsley East, in South Yorkshire, England, on 11 October....
following the death of Terry Patchett
Terry Patchett
Terry Patchett was a politician in the United Kingdom.Born in Staincross, Barnsley, Patchett served as Member of Parliament for Barnsley East until his death, and was a member of the Labour Party. In Parliament he worked for the mining communities of Yorkshire. He died in office in Sheffield aged...
. Jeff Ennis held the seat at the 12 December 1996 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
with a majority of 13,181. He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A 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 14 January 1997. A few months after his election to Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
he had to go back to his electorate at the 1997 general election
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...
for the newly drawn Barnsley East and Mexborough seat, following the redrawing of boundaries and the abolishment of the former Barnsley East.
Following the 1997 general election
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...
, Ennis was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A 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...
(PPS) to the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
, and then in her capacity of Minister of State at the Department for Education and Employment. He became a member of the Education & Skills Select Committee
Education & Skills Select Committee
The Education & Skills Select Committee was a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The official name was the House of Commons, Education and Skills Committee....
following the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
.
In July 2007, he was appointed the PPS to the Minister for the Cabinet Office
Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Minister for the Cabinet Office is a position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The post of Minister of the Cabinet Office is sometimes derided as the Minister for the Today programme.-Ministers for the Cabinet Office:...
Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
.
On 9 February 2010, Ennis announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.
Private life
Ennis has been married to Margaret Angela Knight since 1980 and they have three sons, one of which is called Micheal Ennis. Before his election he was active in the trade unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement and was a branch chairman of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers
National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers
The NASUWT is a trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom....
(NASUWT) 1979-1996 and has been a member of the Transport and General Workers Union since 1997. He has lived in his Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
constituency for much of his life, and is a supporter of Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...