Andy Love

Andrew McCulloch Love (born 21 March 1949) is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton since 1997, winning in 2010 with 53.7% of the vote.

Early life

Born in Greenock, Andy Love was educated at Greenock High School (became Inverclyde Academy in 2007) on Inverkip Road before attending the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where he was awarded a BSc degree. He moved to London in 1974 and joined the Labour Party the following year. He studied for the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators qualification.

He was elected to the London Borough of Haringey Council in 1980 for two terms and chaired both the council's finance and housing committees. He also served as a member of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority. In 1985 he became the political secretary for Co-operative Retail Services (now part of The Co-operative Group), and in 1993 he became the parliamentary officer of the Cooperative Party.

Parliamentary career

Love contested the Edmonton seat at the 1992 General Election, losing by 593 votes to the sitting Conservative MP Ian Twinn. In the Labour landslide at the 1997 election, he unseated Twinn, with a majority of 13,472 votes, and has held the seat since^[1]

In parliament he is involved in many backbench groups and campaigns and served as has acted as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Jacqui Smith when she was the minister at the Department of Health and Department of Trade and Industry between 2001 and 2005. He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee, and has been a member of the Treasury Select Committee since 2005.

Love supported Peter Hain in the 2007 deputy leadership election. Since 1999 he has been a vice-patron of the Helen Rollason Cancer Appeal. Love endorses Fair Spend, a new student discount initiative.^[2][3]

Voting Record

How Andrew Love voted on key issues since 2000 (They Work For You):

• Has never voted on a transparent Parliament.
• Voted for introducing a smoking ban.
• Voted for introducing ID cards.
• Voted for introducing foundation hospitals.
• Voted for introducing student top-up fees.
• Voted for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
• Voted for the Iraq war.
• Voted against investigating the Iraq war.
• Voted for replacing Trident.
• Voted for the hunting ban.
• Voted for equal gay rights.

Personal life

Love married Ruth Rosenthal in 1983 in Haringey.

Notes

1. ^ The Guardian newspaper (Retrieved 5 February 2010)
2. ^ Endorsements
3. ^ Andy Love MP: A little known organisation

External links

• Andy Love MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Andy Love MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Andrew Love MP
• BBC Politics
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Andy Love