Stephen Hesford

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Stephen Hesford (born May 27, 1957) is a British politician and the Labour Member of Parliament for Wirral West.

Stephen Hesford was born in Lowton St Mary's, near Leigh, Lancashire and was educated at the Urmston Grammar School and the University of Bradford where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in social sciences in 1978. He went on to study at the Polytechnic of Central London and earned his Master of Laws in 1980. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1981 and worked as a criminal law barrister in Altrincham, Cheshire until his election to parliament. He was reprimanded by the Bar Council for cancelling court appearances due to his unexpected election.

He worked as an assistant to the Labour MP for Eccles Joan Lestor for a year in 1992. He unsuccessfully contested Suffolk South at the 1992 General Election where he finished in third place some 18,170 votes behind the sitting Conservative MP and then junior environment minister Tim Yeo. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election for the Merseyside seat of Wirral West when he defeated the former Cabinet minister David Hunt by 2,738 votes, and he has remained the MP there since. He made his maiden speech on July 3, 1997, in which he recalled a constituency predecessor and former Commons Speaker Selwyn Lloyd.[1]

In parliament he served as a member of the Northern Ireland select committee for two years from 1998, and also spent two years from 1999 as a member of the health select committee. He has been the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords Valerie Amos since the 2005 General Election.

He has been married to Elizabeth Anne Henshall since 1984 and they have two sons. He is a member of both the Fabian Society and the Lancashire County Cricket Club.

He caused some controversy during the 2005 after The Daily Telegraph reported that he had allegedly labelled his Conservative opponent, former television presenter Esther McVey, a "blonde bimbo", and that her going into politics was merely a way in which to "get back on television", whilst warning that she is "38, single and unmarried".