| Paul Burstow MP | |
|---|---|
| Minister of State for Care Services | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2010 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Phil Hope |
| Liberal Democrat Chief Whip | |
| In office 22 March 2006 – 11 May 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Andrew Stunell |
| Succeeded by | Alistair Carmichael |
| Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Olga Maitland |
| Majority | 1,608 (3.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 May 1962 Carshalton, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Everdell Kemm |
| Children | 1 son, 2 daughters |
| Alma mater | South Bank Polytechnic |
Paul Kenneth Burstow (born 13 May 1962), British politician, is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Health.
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Burstow was born in Carshalton, son of a tailor, and was educated at Carshalton College and the South Bank Polytechnic where he obtained a degree in business studies. He started his career as a buying assistant with Allied Shoe Repairs in 1985. In 1986 he worked briefly in print sales with KallKwik Printers, before becoming a research assistant at the London Borough of Hounslow in 1987.
He was elected as a councillor for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the Sutton Borough Council in 1986, and was its deputy leader 1994-7, he remained a councillor for the Rosehill Ward in Sutton until 2002, after his election to parliament.
In 1988 he joined the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors as a campaigns officer, becoming its political secretary in 1996, where he remained until becoming an MP.
Burstow first contested the Sutton and Cheam Parliamentary seat for the Liberal Democrats at the 1992 General Election. He was defeated by the Conservative Lady Olga Maitland despite achieving one of the largest swings to the Liberal Democrats in London at that election.
He contested the seat again in 1997, this time being elected as its Liberal Democrat MP with a majority of 2,097. Burstow joined several other new Lib Dem MPs as many other south west London seats were gained by the Liberal Democrats at the same election.
He made his maiden speech on 16 May 1997, speaking passionately about the needs of the blind and the disabled people.[1] On his election, Burstow immediately became a spokesman on the Environment under Paddy Ashdown. He became the spokesman on Social Security in 1999 on the election of Charles Kennedy as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. After the 2001 General Election he became the Health spokesman. He has been the parliamentary ambassador to the NSPCC since 2001. He was promoted to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health in 2003. He stepped down from the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet following the 2005 General Election, but was appointed as the spokesman on London. On 22 March 2006, Liberal Democrats MPs elected him their Chief Whip. [2]
Burstow has a reputation for his work with and for older people. In 2003 The Guardian[3] described him as "One of the most knowledgeable and effective politicians on older people's issues". He was voted by MPs as older people's champion in the epolitix Charity Champion awards [4] in December 2005.
Burstow introduced the Care of Older and Incapacitated People (Human Rights) Bill in January 2006. It provided proposals to increase the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. In 2007 he introduced an Early Day Motion congratulating the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged on its 50th anniversary.[5]
He married Mary Everdell Kemm in 1995 and they have a son and two daughters.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Olga Maitland |
Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam 1997–present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Andrew Stunell |
Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats 2006–2010 |
Succeeded by Alistair Carmichael |