Mike Hall (politician)

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Mike Hall MP
Mike Hall (politician)
Member of Parliament
for Weaver Vale
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 May 1997
Preceded by new constituency
Born 20 September 1952 (1952-09-20) (age 55)
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Chester, University of Wales, Bangor

Michael Thomas Hall, known as Mike Hall, (born September 20, 1952) is a British politician, and the Labour Member of Parliament for Weaver Vale.

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[edit] Early life

Mike Hall was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire and was educated locally at St Mary's RC Primary School and St Damian's Catholic Secondary Modern School (now St Damian's Science College) on Lees Road, both in Ashton-under-Lyne. He went on to study at Padgate Training College, Warrington where he was awarded a Certificate in Education in 1977. He later returned to the college, which had been renamed North Cheshire College, where he received a BEd degree in 1987 (the college has since merged with another to become Warrington Collegiate, though its higher education faculty is now part of the University of Chester). He completed his studies at the University of Wales, Bangor where he earned a Postgraduate diploma in education in 1989.

He joined Imperial Chemical Industries in Blackley, Manchester in 1969 as a scientific laboratory assistant, leaving to go to university in 1973. He became a history and physical education teacher in 1977 in Bolton, where he remained until he became a support teacher with the Halton community assessment team from 1985 until his election to Parliament.

He joined the Labour Party under the leadership of James Callaghan in 1977 and was elected as a councillor to the Warrington Borough Council in 1979. He became Warrington's deputy leader in 1984, and leader for seven years from 1985, before standing down in 1993. He was also elected to the Great Sankey Parish Council for four years from 1979. He served for four years on the Birchwood and Croft Parish Council from 1983.

[edit] Parliamentary career

Hall was elected to the House of Commons for Warrington South at the 1992 general election, defeating the sitting Conservative MP Chris Butler by just 191 votes. He made his maiden speech on May 6, 1992 [1]. Following boundary changes, at the 1997 general election, he moved from Warrington South to the newly-created, nearby constituency of Weaver Vale, which covers Northwich and parts of Runcorn. He won this seat with a safe 13,448 majority, and has held the seat comfortably since.

In Parliament he served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (1992-1997), and became the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Leader of the House of Commons Ann Taylor following the 1997 General Election. He became a member of the Labour government, under Prime Minister Tony Blair, in 1998, when he was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip. He was sacked following the 2001 General Election. From 2001-2005 he served as PPS to the Secretary of State for Health, initially under Alan Milburn and, from 2003, his successor, John Reid. He has been a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee since the 2005 General Election.

[edit] Personal life

He married Lesley Evelyn Gosling on August 2 1975 in Ashton under Lyne and they have a son, Thomas.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ (6th May 1992) Hansard. HMSO, column 122.