| The Right Honourable Bob Ainsworth MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 5 June 2009 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
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| Preceded by | John Hutton |
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| In office 13 June 2003 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Keith Hill |
| Succeeded by | Nick Brown |
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Member of Parliament
for Coventry North East |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 April 1992 |
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| Preceded by | John Hughes |
| Majority | 14,222 (38.24%) |
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| Born | 19 June 1952 Coventry, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
Robert William Ainsworth (born 19 June 1952) is a British Labour politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North East since 1992, and is the current Secretary of State for Defence, replacing John Hutton on 5 June 2009.
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Early life
Ainsworth was born in Coventry and attended the local Foxford Comprehensive School.[1] He first became active in politics as a trade unionist at the Jaguar Cars plant in Coventry[1] where he worked and served in many union capacities, including as Branch President (in what was later to become part of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance union). At this time he attended "a couple" of International Marxist Group meetings before deciding not to pursue an interest in the group.[2] In 1984, he was elected to Coventry City Council, became Chair of the Finance Committee,[3] and was deputy leader of the ruling Labour group. He was also Constituency Labour Party Chairman.[4]
Parliamentary career
Ainsworth became Labour candidate for Coventry North East in the run-up to the 1992 general election after the sitting MP, John Hughes, was de-selected by the Constituency Labour Party. Ainsworth was successfully elected with a 11,676 majority, and stepped down from the city council the following year. At the 1997 general election his majority rose sharply to 22,569, falling back to 15,751 at the 2001 election, and 14,222 at the 2005 election.
In Government
Ainsworth was appointed a Labour whip in 1995[3] and served in government until January 2001 when he was promoted to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the former Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. After the 2001 general election, Ainsworth was moved to the Home Office (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary with responsibility for Drugs and Organised Crime,[3] where he remained until 2003, when he became the Deputy Chief Whip (also known as the Treasurer of the Household). He was appointed to the Privy Council in February 2005.[5] On 29 June 2007, he moved to become the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.[3]
Defence Secretary
On 5 June 2009, he was appointed to the cabinet by Gordon Brown as Secretary of State for Defence,[6] in what was considered by some to be "a surprise choice".[7][8] As Defence Secretary, Ainsworth declared in July 2009 that "the government should have offered more support to British troops at the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,"[9] a comment that provoked former Chief of Defence Staff General Lord Guthrie to accuse Ainsworth of not understanding "leadership in war".[10] At the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in 2009, Ainsworth stated that sending reinforcements to Afghanistan may not be possible because of a lack of necessary military resources. He said, "Before I agree to any increase in troop numbers I must be sure that the balance of risk is acceptable by evaluating the capacity of the supply chain to properly equip the increased force."[11]
Expenses
In the 2009 Parliamentary expenses scandal, in which a number of MPs were criticised for their expense claims, it was revealed that, in 2007-08, Ainsworth had allegedly claimed the maximum permissible amount of £23,083 for second-home allowances, making him the joint highest claimant that year.[12]
References
- ^ a b Robert Waller, Byron Criddle (1999), Almanac of British Politics, Almanac of British Politics, p190
- ^ Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday blog, 19 July 2009, The Defence Secretary and the International Marxist Group, accessed 19 August 2009
- ^ a b c d Ministry of Defence, Secretary of State for Defence, accessed 26 July 2009
- ^ Bob Ainsworth
- ^ Number 10 - Privy Council Appointment (Robert Ainsworth)
- ^ BBC, 5 June 2009, I won't walk away, insists Brown
- ^ The Times, 14 July 2009, Twists that made Bob Ainsworth the least worst choice for the job
- ^ The Times, 17 August 2009, General Sir David Richards backs Bob Ainsworth on Afghanistan time frame
- ^ New Statesman, 31 July 2009, Armed forces lacked support, says defence secretary
- ^ "Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth 'unfit to lead war". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206443/Defence-Secretary-Bob-Ainsworth-unfit-lead-war.html. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ^ Bob Ainsworth warns shortage of equipment to limit troop numbers in Afghanistan
- ^ Gammell, Caroline (2 June 2009). "MPs' expenses: Bob Ainsworth's repairs cost the taxpayer £5,925". Online edition. The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5431621/MPs-expenses-Bob-Ainsworths-repairs-cost-the-taxpayer-5925.html. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
External links
- Coventry North East Constituency Labour Party Local Labour Party site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Bob Ainsworth
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Bob Ainsworth MP
- Public Whip - Voting Record: Bob Ainsworth
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by John Hughes |
Member of Parliament for Coventry North East 1992–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Keith Hill |
Treasurer of the Household 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Nick Brown |
| Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2003–2007 |
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| Preceded by John Hutton |
Secretary of State for Defence 2009–present |
Incumbent |
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