Robert Flello

Robert Flello
Member of Parliament
for Stoke-on-Trent South
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by George Stevenson
Majority 4,130 (10.4%)
Personal details
Born 14 January 1966
Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Wales, Bangor
Religion Roman Catholicism[1]

Robert Charles Douglas Flello (born 14 January 1966) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent South since 2005.

Early life

Flello was born in Bournville, Birmingham. He attended Bournville Junior and Infant schools before going to King's Norton Boy's School. At age 18 he went to University of Wales, Bangor to read Chemistry. He graduated in 1987 with a B.Sc (Hons).

Career

After graduating, Flello worked for a short time at Cadbury in Bournville before joining the Inland Revenue. In 1989 he left to join Price Waterhouse accountants as a personal tax advisor. In 1995 he moved to Arthur Andersen then in 1999 he co-founded Platts Flello Limited, tax and financial advisors. In late 2003 he left to work as the CEO of Malachi Community Trust until December 2004.

Political career

Flello was elected as a councillor to the Longbridge ward of Birmingham City Council in 2002, stepping down in 2004. He is a former chairman of the Birmingham Northfield Constituency Labour Party. He served as a governor at the Newman College in Bartley Green, and was Chair of Governors for both Colmers Farm infants and junior schools. He was also a governor at The Meadows primary school. He served as a regional organiser for the Labour Party in 2004 until his election to Westminster.

Parliament

Flello was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for Stoke-on-Trent South following the retirement of George Stevenson. Flello held the seat with a majority of 8,681 and made his maiden speech on 19 May 2005.[2]

In parliament he has been a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee, and became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor, Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton in 2006 after which he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears. In 2009 he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth.

He was appointed as a shadow junior minister for Justice in October 2010. He stepped down from this position in October 2013 in what is expected to be the first move of Ed Miliband's reshuffle.[3]

Controversy

In 2007 Flello was accused of filibustering a fellow Labour backbencher's private members bill. The bill, introduced by neighbouring Staffordshire MP Paul Farrelly, aimed to give temporary and agency workers similar employment rights to permanent staff. It was backed by the Unite trade union. The incident provoked an angry response in the Daily Mirror.[4]

In 2013, he became one of the Labour MPs to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, which eventually passed with cross-party support.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/03/27/catholic-mps-urge-pope-francis-to-allow-ordination-of-married-men/
  2. ↑ House of Commons Hansard Debates for 19 May 2005 (pt 20). Publications.parliament.uk (2005-05-19). Retrieved on 2012-01-29.
  3. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24363762
  4. ↑ "SHAME OF MOUTHY MP". Daily Miror. 7 Mar 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  5. ↑ George Eaton, "Labour and Lib Dem MPs who voted against gay marriage: full list", New Statesman, 06-02-2013. Last Retrieved 26 August 2013.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
George Stevenson		 Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South
2005–present 		Incumbent