Jack Anderson

August 4, 1939

He stayed at the university to become a research fellow from 1966-1968, whilst working as an officer for the General and Municipal Workers" Union. Doctor Cunningham was first elected as member for Whitehaven in 1970. And the renamed Copeland constituency, which was the same constituency as Whitehaven, in 1983. He was a district councillor for Chester-le-Street Rural & Parish Council, prior to becoming an Member of Parliament and continued to live in the Garden Farm area of the town, bringing up his family there. Cunningham joined the Shadow Cabinet in 1983, and ran the Labour Party"s general election campaign in 1992. After the 1997 general election, he became Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and embarked on a modernisation programme for the Ministry, loosening its hitherto fierce loyalty to the producer interest, and emphasizing its duty to the consumer. He also paved the way for the creation of the disputably independent Food Standards Agency. He was moved in 1998 to Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The media dubbed him cabinet enforcer, claiming that his role was effectively to sell the Government and its policies to the public and the media. Although there was some truth in this, he also led the government"s work on modernising government, and chaired the Ministerial Committee on genetically modified foods and crops. He retired from the Cabinet in 1999, and became an influential backbencher. He stood down from parliament at the 2005 general election. Having represented the parliamentary constituency that includes Sellafield, the United Kingdom"s largest nuclear facility, for 35 years, he is a strong proponent of nuclear power and is the founding European legislative chairman of the Transatlantic Nuclear Energy Forum. Cunningham was suspended from the Labour Party whip, and the party, in June 2013 pending an investigation over claims he had offered to work for lobbyists. He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the parliamentary standards authorities, and had the Labour whip restored.

Jack Anderson

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Background

His father was Andrew Cunningham, leader of the Labour Party in the Northern Region in the 1970s, who was disgraced in the 1974 Poulson scandal.

Education

He was educated at Jarrow Grammar School (now Jarrow School) in the same class as Doug McAvoy, future general secretary of the National Union of Teachers. Cunningham then studied at Bede College of Durham University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1962, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1967.

Career

He stayed at the university to become a research fellow from 1966-1968, whilst working as an officer for the General and Municipal Workers" Union. Doctor Cunningham was first elected as member for Whitehaven in 1970. And the renamed Copeland constituency, which was the same constituency as Whitehaven, in 1983.

He was a district councillor for Chester-le-Street Rural & Parish Council, prior to becoming an Member of Parliament and continued to live in the Garden Farm area of the town, bringing up his family there.

Cunningham joined the Shadow Cabinet in 1983, and ran the Labour Party"s general election campaign in 1992. After the 1997 general election, he became Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and embarked on a modernisation programme for the Ministry, loosening its hitherto fierce loyalty to the producer interest, and emphasizing its duty to the consumer.

He also paved the way for the creation of the disputably independent Food Standards Agency. He was moved in 1998 to Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The media dubbed him cabinet enforcer, claiming that his role was effectively to sell the Government and its policies to the public and the media.

Although there was some truth in this, he also led the government"s work on modernising government, and chaired the Ministerial Committee on genetically modified foods and crops. He retired from the Cabinet in 1999, and became an influential backbencher. He stood down from parliament at the 2005 general election.

Having represented the parliamentary constituency that includes Sellafield, the United Kingdom"s largest nuclear facility, for 35 years, he is a strong proponent of nuclear power and is the founding European legislative chairman of the Transatlantic Nuclear Energy Forum.

Cunningham was suspended from the Labour Party whip, and the party, in June 2013 pending an investigation over claims he had offered to work for lobbyists. He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the parliamentary standards authorities, and had the Labour whip restored.

Achievements

He worked hard to secure the lifting of the European Union ban on the export of United Kingdom beef, and achieved some limited success on this.

Politics

He also appeared on many television Election programmes as one of the main spokesmen of the Party. Lord Cunningham of Felling is still active in politics and chairs an all-party parliamentary committee to review the powers of the House of Lords.

Membership

45th United Kingdom Parliament. 46th United Kingdom Parliament. 47th United Kingdom Parliament.

48th United Kingdom Parliament.

49th United Kingdom Parliament. 50th United Kingdom Parliament.

51st United Kingdom Parliament. 52nd United Kingdom Parliament.

53rd United Kingdom Parliament.

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Jack Anderson

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