| Stephen Pound MP | |
|---|---|
| Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 20 November 2010 |
|
| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Eric Joyce |
| Member of Parliament for Ealing North |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Harry Greenway |
| Majority | 9,301 (19.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 July 1948 Hammersmith, London[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Maggie Pound[2] |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Profession | Politician |
| Website | http://www.stevepound.org.uk/ |
Stephen Pelham Pound (born 3 July 1948) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing North since 1997.[3] He has also appeared on various television and radio programmes.
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Pound went to Hertford Grammar School (now called Richard Hale School) on Hale Road in Hertford. He was educated, as a mature student from 1979–84, at the London School of Economics where he gained a Diploma in Industrial Relations and a BSc in Economics. He was the student union president from 1981-2.[3]
He was a boxer in the Merchant Navy, when at sea from 1964–66, leading Private Eye magazine to refer to him as "Ealing North's tattooed bruiser". He also worked as a bus conductor for London Transport,[4] from 1966-68. He was a hospital porter from 1969-79. Prior to becoming an MP he worked for Paddington Churches Housing Association as a housing manager from 1984 until he became an MP. He was based at their office in Willesden.
Pound has represented Ealing North since 1997. He served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Hazel Blears until he resigned in protest at the decision to replace Trident on 14 March 2007.[5] He supported Blears in the 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election.
In February 2004 he initiated an early day motion mourning the 10th anniversary of the death of American comedian Bill Hicks. Pound applauded Hicks for being "unflinching and painfully honest" and declared that Hicks's words were "a bullet in the heart of consumerism, capitalism and the American Dream".
He allegedly fought Conservative MP Philip Davies whilst they were debating policy on talkSPORT.
He held the position of PPS to Minister Stephen Timms at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from October 2008 until May 2010. In April 2009 he was reported to have announced his resignation from this position, in order to vote against the government's policy of restricting the right of former Gurkhas to settle in the UK.[6]
After the election of Ed Milliband as Labour leader in October 2010, he became an assistant whip.
How Stephen Pound voted on key issues since 2001 (They Work For You):
In 2003 BBC’s Today Programme asked its listeners to suggest a law that they would like to see put onto the statute books. The BBC received 10,000 nominations and five were short-listed, from which listeners then voted to select their preferred choice. Stephen Pound agreed to sponsor in parliament whichever idea eventually won the final vote. On 1 January 2004 it was announced on air that first place with 37% of the vote had gone to the proposal to authorise homeowners to use any means to defend their home from intruders. (The controversial farmer Tony Martin was still very much in the news.) Stephen Pound’s on-air reaction to the result was that, "The people have spoken — the bastards".[7]
In May 2005, Pound appeared on British TV quiz show Have I Got News For You and in December of that year in a special edition of University Challenge.
In May 2009 it was discovered Pound had claimed a mileage allowance of £4,251, equating to 11,004 miles of travel between his constituency and Parliament 11 miles away. He explained this by saying he made the trip 'two or three times a day'.[8]
Pound is one of the 98 MPs who voted in support of the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill.[9]
He married Maggie in 1976. They have a son and daughter. In January 2005 he discovered that he fathered a daughter when he was eighteen years old.[10]
He is a Roman Catholic.[11]
BBC News:
The Guardian:
On his dressing up as a Cheeky Girl for charity:
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harry Greenway |
Member of Parliament for Ealing North 1997–present |
Incumbent |