John Heppell is a former British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Nottingham East from 1992 until he stepped down at the 2010 general election.
Background
Heppell was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside and was educated locally at the Rutherford Grammar School (now the low-performing Westgate Community School) on West Road in Fenham, then the South East Northumberland Technical College (became North Tyneside College and now called Tyne Metropolitan College) on Coast Road in Wallsend, and he completed his education at the Ashington Technical College (now called Northumberland College) on College Road in Ashington.
Education
Rutherford Grammar School. Ashington Technical College.
Career
He was Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 2005 to 2007. He worked for the National Coal Board from 1964 as a fitter until he left in 1970 to work as a fitter in Nottingham. He joined British Rail in 1975, originally as a diesel fitter, becoming a workshop supervisor in 1978 until he left in 1989.
Heppell was elected as a councillor to the Nottinghamshire County Council in 1981, serving as the deputy leader for three years from 1989, stepping down from the council in 1993.
He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1992 general election for Nottingham East by defeating the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Knowles by 7,680 votes and remained the Member of Parliament there until 2010. In Parliament, Heppell was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (Parliamentary Private Secretary) to the Leader of the House of Lords Ivor Richard in 1997 and became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in 1998.
He held this office until June 2007. He used to have the words love and hate tattooed on his knuckles, but they have since been removed.
He is a keen ornithologist.
Membership
51st United Kingdom Parliament. 52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament.
54th United Kingdom Parliament]
He became a member of the Tony Blair government following the 2001 general election when he was appointed as a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury and Government Whip and was promoted within the Whips Office becoming the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household following the 2005 general election.
He was a member of the selection select committee from 2001. He is a member of the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union having resigned from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers in 2002.