Derek Twigg

Derek Twigg MP
Twigg in 2008
Member of Parliament for Halton
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Gordon Oakes
Majority	15,504 (37.5%)
Personal details
Born	July 9, 1959 (1959-07-09) (age 52) Widnes, Lancashire, England (now in Cheshire)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Mary Cassidy
Children	1 son, 1 daughter
Website	Derek Twigg

John Derek Twigg (born 9 July 1959) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halton since 1997.

Early life

Derek Twigg went to Bankfield High School (now The Bankfield School)^[1] in Widnes, and then to Halton College of Further Education (now Riverside College). He started to work at the age of 16 as a civil servant for the Department for Employment (now the Department for Employment and Learning) in Runcorn for the next 19 years.^[2]

At the age of 18 Derek Twigg became the branch secretary to the Civil and Public Services Association (now part of the Public and Commercial Services Union) and in 1979 he joined the Labour Party. At the age of 21 he was elected to Cheshire County Council and continued to be a county councilor until 1985. In 1983 he was elected to Halton Borough Council.^[2] From 1996-7 he was a political consultant.^{[citation needed]}

Parliamentary career

At the general election in 1997 Derek Twigg was elected to succeed Gordon Oakes as Member of Parliament for the Halton Constituency and made his maiden speech on 10 June 1997. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Helen Liddell and to Stephen Byers and was appointed as a Government Whip in June 2002. In December 2004 Derek Twigg was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Skills and after the general election in May 2005 he became Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. In September 2006 he was appointed Under Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.^[2] In October 2008 he was replaced in this position and, declining the offer of another ministerial post, returned to the back benches.^[3]

Personal life

He married Mary Cassidy in January 1988 in Widnes. They have a son (Sean Twigg born June 1989) and daughter (Megan Twigg born April 1992).^{[citation needed]} Twigg lists his interests outside politics as hill walking, military history, particularly World War Two and Rugby League.^[2] A lifelong Liverpool supporter, he attended the 1989 FA Cup semi-final tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough stadium, abandoned six minutes into the game. Twigg watched the unfolding Hillsborough disaster tragedy from the north stand.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Golden Year for Bankfield School", Inside Halton (Halton Borough Council): 7, December 2008 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Biography, Derek Twigg, http://www.derektwigg.org.uk/sect2/, retrieved 2008-10-12 
3. ^ "MP axed in Brown's reshuffle", Runcorn Weekly News: 3, 2008-10-09 

External links

• Derek Twigg, MP official constituency website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Derek Twigg booed at the Headmasters conference in May 2005
• Video clip: Presenting veterans' badges on board HMS Belfast, 5 September 2007, video

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gordon Oakes	Member of Parliament for Halton 1997–present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Twigg, Derek
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	9 July 1959
Place of birth	Widnes
Date of death
Place of death