Background
He is the son of Rowland Wood, a foundry worker, and his wife Laura.
He is the son of Rowland Wood, a foundry worker, and his wife Laura.
He was educated at Nantwich and Acton Grammar School (now called Malbank School and Sixth Form College) on Welsh Row in Nantwich.
He has two siblings. He went to Salisbury and Wells Theological College (now called Salisbury College) in Salisbury, Wiltshire where he gained a Certificate in Theology in 1974. From the University of Leeds he gained a CQSW (Certificate of Qualification in Social Work) in 1981. From Leeds Polytechnic he gained a Bachelor in History and Politics in 1989.
He was a probation officer and social worker from 1965 to 1997 before becoming an Member of Parliament.
From 1980 to 1988, he represented his then hometown Cleckheaton as a councillor - during that time he was chairman of the housing committee and the social services committee and was deputy leader of Kirklees Council.
In the 1987 election, he contested the Hexham seat. He joined the Labour Party in 1966, aged twenty.
On 31 October 2006, Wood was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party"s call for an inquiry into the Iraq War. In May 2007 he became parliamentary manager for John McDonnell"s campaign to challenge Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party following Tony Blair"s resignation.
He stood down at the United Kingdom general election in 2015.
He is a member of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group, and is considered one of the more independently minded Labour MPs. His political interests are described as: "law and order, animal welfare, transport, employment, health and the environment. Mr Wood is an executive member of the All Party Penal Affairs Group, a patron of the National Association of British Market Authorities, a member of the Campaign for State Education and the Working Class Movement Library and a friend of Birzeit University in Palestine.
52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament. 54th United Kingdom Parliament.
55th United Kingdom Parliament]
He is a member of the Parliamentary groups on homelessness, transport, Indo-British affairs, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, animal welfare, Mississippi, Master of Engineering, disablement, human rights, Kashmir and alcohol misuse." He is secretary of Parliament"s Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Harm Reduction group.