Background
David Crausby was born in Bury, Lancashire and was educated locally at the Derby Grammar School (now Derby High School) on Radcliffe Road in the town and at Bury Technical College on Market Street.
David Crausby was born in Bury, Lancashire and was educated locally at the Derby Grammar School (now Derby High School) on Radcliffe Road in the town and at Bury Technical College on Market Street.
He began a career as a turner, becoming an apprentice centre lathe turner in 1962, and later becoming works convenor for the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union at Beloit Walmsleys Limited, Bolton. He remained in this position until his election to the House of Commons in 1997. He was elected a councillor in 1979 to the then Bury District Council, and served until 1992.
He contested the marginal Bury North seat, having been just elected as Chairman of the local constituency Labour Party, at the 1987 General Election but was defeated by the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament Alistair Burt by 6,911 votes.
Crausby had no problem defeating the new Conservative candidate, Rob Wilson, by 12,669, and he has remained the Member of Parliament there since, though his majority fell to 8,422 in 2001 and 4,103 in 2005. In the 2010 general election with a turnout of 64.97% he increased his share of the vote and gained 19,870 votes being 45.9% of votes cast in comparison to 16,874 votes being 45.7% of votes cast in 2005.
He made his maiden speech on 17 July 1997, in which he remembered the inventor of the spinning mule Samuel Crompton who was born in Bolton. He voted against the Iraq War in 2003.
In 2013, he became one of the few Labour MPs to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, which eventually was passed with cross-party support.
Video on YouTube.
Thurnham retired at the 1997 General Election, having crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats on 12 October 1996.
He contested the Conservative-held marginal seat of Bolton North East at the 1992 General Election where the sitting Member of Parliament Peter Thurnham was defending an 813 majority.
52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament. 54th United Kingdom Parliament.
55th United Kingdom Parliament.
56th United Kingdom Parliament]
In parliament, Crausby joined the Social Security Select Committee in 1999, and was a member of the Defence Select Committee from the 2001 General Election to 2010.
