| Vernon Coaker MP | |
|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 October 2011 |
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| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Shaun Woodward |
| Minister of State for Schools and Learners |
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| In office 8 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Jim Knight |
| Succeeded by | Nick Gibb |
| Member of Parliament for Gedling |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Mitchell |
| Majority | 1,859 (3.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 June 1953 City of Westminster, London, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Jacqueline Heaton |
| Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
| Residence | Cotgrave |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick, Trent Polytechnic |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Website | vernon-coaker-mp.co.uk |
Vernon Rodney Coaker (born 17 June 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gedling since 1997; Coaker was appointed Minister of State for Schools and Learners in June 2009, a post he held until Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister on 11 May 2010. He was appointed to Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in October 2011.
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Coaker went to Drayton Manor Grammar School in London. He studied for an Economics and Politics BA (Hons) at the University of Warwick, then obtained a PGCE at Trent Polytechnic (Clifton College of Education).
Coaker worked as a teacher, becoming a History teacher at Manvers Pierrepont School (now the Carlton Road Centre of Castle College Nottingham) from 1976–1982, then Head of Department at Arnold Hill School from 1982–1988. From 1989–1995 he was a Senior Teacher at Bramcote Park School. From 1995–1997 he was deputy headmaster at Big Wood School in Bestwood, Nottingham. He is a member of the NUT.
Coaker served as a district councillor for the Cotgrave Ward in Rushcliffe from 1983–1997, contesting the Rushcliffe constituency seat in 1983. He contested Gedling in 1987 and 1992, before defeating Andrew Mitchell in the 1997 election, becoming the first Labour MP to win the Gedling seat.
Before taking up his present ministerial appointment he was a Minister of State at the Home Office. He became a government whip in May 2005 having been as assistant whip since June 2003. He has taken part in education debates and takes an interest in environmental and animal welfare issues. Prior to joining the government he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
Shortly after being appointed Minister for Drugs & Crime Reduction in the May 2006 reshuffle, he revealed to the Coventry Evening Telegraph that, as a student, he had smoked cannabis. This provoked some controversy owing to his new responsibilities.
He supports people taking part in shooting sports and angling.
In January 2010, Mr Coaker apologised for remarks that misled MPs. Mr Coaker had earlier told MPs that 70 police officers were hurt as a result of a Climate Change protest at Kingsnorth power station. In fact, only four [1] injuries involved contact with another person. The 66 others included "wasp sting", "injuries sitting in a car", and "succumbed to sun and heat" etc. The whole operation had involved more than 1000 officers.
He married Jacqueline Heaton on 23 December 1978 in Basford and they have a daughter and a son. He supports Tottenham Hotspur. His wife, who is a teacher, was a town councillor in Cotgrave.[2]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew Mitchell |
Member of Parliament for Gedling 1997-present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Shaun Woodward |
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2011-present |
Incumbent |
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