Alex Cunningham

For other people named Alexander Cunningham, see Alexander Cunningham (disambiguation).
Alex Cunningham
Member of Parliament
for Stockton North
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Frank Cook
Majority 6,676 (16.9%)
Personal details
Born 1 May 1955
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Evaline
Alma mater Darlington Technical College
Website http://www.alexcunninghammp.com/

Alexander (Alex) Cunningham[1] (born 1 May 1955)[2] is a British Labour Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockton North.

Born in Scotland Cunningham moved to the town of Darlington in County Durham at a young age. He was educated at Branksome Comprehensive School in Darlington, and the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College. He later attended the town's Darlington Technical College where he was awarded a certificate in journalism in 1976.[3]

Career

A career journalist, he joined Darlington based Darlington & Stockton Times in 1974. In 1976 he moved to the Hartlepool Mail. After a year, he joined Radio Tees. In 1979, he joined The Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough, where he remained for five years, when his career moved with British Gas as a press officer. In 1995 he joined Transco (later National Grid plc) as a communications adviser, becoming head of communications after five years before leaving in 2002. Since 2002 he has been the managing director of Tees Valley Communicators.

Politics

He was elected as a councillor to Cleveland County Council in 1984, becoming the vice chairman of the committee, he served on the council until 1997. He was a member of Stockton Borough Council from 1999 until his election to Parliament at the 2010 General Election. He served as the north eastern chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, 2002-08. He was very active in the Stockton North Constituency Labour Party, as the press officer from 1984–2010, vice chairman and secretary, 1985–95, and its chairman, 1995-2000.

He has been a member of the Co-operative Party since 1986.[4]

In Parliament he has pursued a ban on smoking in cars when a child is present.

In 2011, he was a member of the Committee set up to scrutinise the Bill that became the Armed Forces Act 2011.[5]

Parliament

Following his election he has served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee since 2010, and served on the Armed Forces Bill in 2011. He is currently a member of the Education Committee, and is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan MP.

Personal

He has been married to Evaline since 1977, and they have two sons.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/59418/notices/1118281/from=2010-05-06;to=2010-05-19;all=returned+westminster/
  2. ↑ "Alex Cunningham MP". BBC Democracy Live. BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. ↑ http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251497
  4. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/alex-cunningham/72257
  5. ↑ "Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill". parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 Sep 2013.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Frank Cook		 Member of Parliament for Stockton North
2010 – present 		Incumbent