Michael John Foster

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For other people with similar names, see Michael Foster; in particular Michael Jabez Foster, MP for Hastings and Rye

Michael John Foster (born March 14, 1963) British politician He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Worcester.

Michael Foster was in Birmingham, West Midlands and was educated at the Great Wyrley High School near Cannock, and the Wolverhampton Polytechnic where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1984. He later studied at the University of Central England where he received a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in 1995.

He followed in his father Brian's footsteps when he joined Jaguar Cars in 1984 as a financial analyst, becoming a senior analyst in 1985 and a management accountant in 1987. He left Jaguar in 1991 to become an accountancy lecturer at the Worcester College of Technology, where he remained until his election to Westminster.

He joined the Labour Party as a 17 year old in 1980, and was a shop steward for the Transport and General Workers Union for two years from 1986. He became the secretary of the Worcestershire Mid Constituency Labour Party in 1987, and the secretary of the Worcester Constituency Labour Party for three years from 1992. Michael Foster was elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election for Worcester with a majority of 7,425, and has remained the MP there since. He made his maiden speech on June 2, 1997.[1], where he spoke of the constituency and the Royal Worcester porcelain. He is the only Labour MP ever to represent Worcester in parliament.

He joined the education and employment select committee in 1999, and after the 2001 General Election he served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State at the Department for Education and Skills Margaret Hodge. After the 2005 General Election he became the PPS to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain. In the reshuffle of May 2006, he entered the government as an assistant whip.

Michael Foster is best known for his introduction of the private members bill to ban hunting with dogs in 1997; although his bill did not become law, its principles were later passed into law by the Hunting Act 2004. He has been married to Shauna Ogle since 1985 and they have a son and two daughters. He is a member of the Warwickshire County Cricket Club, a supporter of Birmingham City F.C., and is active in the protection of the barn owl.