Gordon Marsden

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Gordon Marsden
MP
Shadow Minister for Further Education, Skills and Regional Growth
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 May 2010
Leader Harriet Harman
Ed Miliband
Member of Parliament
for Blackpool South
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded by Nick Hawkins
Majority 1,852 (5.3%)
Personal details
Born (1953-11-28) 28 November 1953
Manchester, England
Nationality English
Political party Labour
Alma mater New College, Oxford
Warburg Institute
Harvard University

Gordon Marsden (born 28 November 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackpool South since 1997.

Early life

Marsden was educated at Stockport Grammar School, an independent school in the city of Stockport in Cheshire, followed by New College, Oxford where he attained a first-class degree in Modern History. He then went on to postgraduate studies at the Warburg Institute (part of the University of London) and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, being a Kennedy Scholar in Politics and International Relations.

Before entering Parliament he had been a tutor for the Open University since 1994, as well as a public affairs adviser to English Heritage and, for twelve years, the editor of History Today and New Socialist magazine.

Parliamentary career

Marsden first contested the seat of Blackpool South in 1992 and won it in 1997. Once elected to Parliament, Gordon served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Irvine of Lairg in the Lord Chancellor's Department (2001-3), Tessa Jowell as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2003-5) and John Denham as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and shadow communities secretary (2009-).

In 2003, he was made a Visiting Parliamentary Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford.

Gordon is a member of the House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee and previously served on the Education and Skills Select Committee before it was dissolved in 2007.

He is Chair of the Associate Parliamentary Skills Group and of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Veterans.

Fabian Society

Marsden is a member of the Fabian Society, of which he was chairman in 2000-1. He also served a Chair of the Young Fabians and now serves as a Trustee of Dartmouth Street, the building where the Society is based.

Seaside towns

Marsden convened the first group of Labour MPs representing seaside and coastal towns. In 2007 Gordon was asked to chair a Manifesto Group for the Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Seaside and Coastal Towns.

Personal life

Marsden is gay and lives with his partner.[1][2]

Earlier this year Gordon was named as one of the Daily Telegraph's expenses "saints", due to the low levels of his expenses claims.[3] When Parliament is sitting he commutes to London from his main home in Brighton, while his Blackpool constituency home which is a rented flat above his office in Highfield Road and is his designated second home.[4]

References

  1. ↑ MP Gordon admits: I'm gay
  2. ↑ Second Labour MP admits to being gay
  3. ↑ http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Blackpool-MP-named-an-expenses.5280541.jp
  4. ↑ http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/MPs39-second-homes-cost-taxpayers.5905955.jp

External links

Video clips

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Nick Hawkins		 Member of Parliament for Blackpool South
1997–present 		Incumbent
Authority control
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