I was born and bred in Gillingham.

I attended Featherby Infants and Junior Schools and moved on to secondary school at the former Gillingham Grammar School for Boys. 

I have lived in Gillingham throughout my working life and now reside there with my wife Julie and my two children. 

I studied Economics and Politics at the University of Keele and completed a Diploma in Management Studies at the University of Derby. From 1986 to 1997 I managed the TUC National Education Centre in North London. 

In 1997 I was elected as Member of Parliament to Gillingham. 

Prior to that, between 1982 and 1990, I was a councillor on Gillingham Borough Council and Deputy Leader of the Labour Group from 1983-1989.

In the 1997 General Election, Labour secured the Gillingham seat with 39.8% share of vote and with 16% swing from Conservatives to Labour – the largest swing in Kent. I contested Gillingham Parliamentary seat in 2001 General Election – Labour retained the seat with 44.5% share of the vote.  In the 2005 General Election Labour again retained the seat with a 41.2% share of the vote and a majority of 254. 

During my time in Parliament I have held the following positions:

• Member of Labour Party Leadership Campaign Team 1998-1999
• Member of Deputy Leaders Team 1999-2001
• Private Parliamentary Secretary to Lord Chancellor’s Department, October 1999 to June 2001
• Private Parliamentary Secretary to Lord Falconer, Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Regeneration, DTLR June 2001 to June 2002
• Private Parliamentary Secretary to Lord Falconer, Minister of State for Criminal Justice, Home Office June 2002 to -.July 2003
• Assistant Government Whip July 2003 - April 2005
• Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Prescott MP May 2005 –
• Member of European Standing Committee 1997-2000.
• Secretary of Parliamentary All Party Thames Gateway Group 1997
• Secretary of Parliamentary All Party Regeneration Group 2000 –
• Member of the Parliamentary All Party British-Japanese Group
• Member of the Parliamentary All Party Rail Group
• Member of Medway Council Economic Development Strategy Team
• Board Member of Kent Thames Gateway Partnership Board
• Member of Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership
• Board member and Trustee of Groundwork Medway/Swale
• Trustee of the Havengore Educational Trust
• Member of Labour Party Backbench Committees – Home Affairs, Transport and Education and Employment
• Patron of Fort Amherst.

 Source: Medway News