Mark Hendrick

Mark Phillip Hendrick (born November 2, 1958) British politician and is the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Preston.

Mark Hendrick, who is half-Somali, was born in Salford, Lancashire and was educated at the Salford Grammar School and the Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University) before attending the University of Manchester where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering; a master's degree in computer science; and the Certificate in Education. He also studied at a Volkshochschule in Germany. He worked as a student engineer with the Ministry of Defence in 1979 and as a work student with AEG Telefunken in 1981. He was appointed as an engineer with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in 1982 for six years. In 1990 he joined the Stockport College as an electronics and software engineering lecturer and taught there until his election to the European Parliament.

[edit] Political career

He was the secretary of the Salford Co-operative Party for ten years from 1984, and was elected a councillor to the City of Salford Council in 1987 and served for eight years. He was elected chairman of the Eccles Constituency Labour Party for four years from 1990. He was elected at the 1994 European Parliament Election for the Central Lancashire seat. He served in Brussels and Strasbourg for five years until he lost his seat at the 1999 European Parliament Election. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 2000 Preston by-election which was caused by the death of the sitting Labour MP Audrey Wise. He won the seat with a majority of 4,426 and has remained the MP there to the current date. He made his maiden speech on December 11, 2000.[1]

In parliament he was as a member of the European scrutiny select committee for three years from 2001 and has served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett since 2003. He is the secretary of the all-party group on Romania.

Hendrick lives in Preston and speaks German and French and supports both Manchester City and Preston North End. In 2002 he unsuccessfully pleaded for emergency funding for the National Football Museum.[2]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Audrey Wise	Member of Parliament for Preston 2000 – present	Incumbent