Roger Godsiff

Biography:

Roger Godsiff was re-elected MP for Birmingham, Hall Green on May 7th 2015 with 28147 votes, taking 59.8% of the vote.

Roger Godsiff was born in London and educated at the Catford Comprehensive School. He was a bank clerk for five years from 1965, joining the Labour Party in 1966. He was a political officer from 1970 with the trade union Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX) and then from 1990 with its successor the GMB Union until his election to Parliament in 1992. During his time as a trade union official he was a leading member of the St Ermins Group, a secret caucus of moderate trade unionists who moved the Labour Party back towards the political centre by organising slates for elections to the party’s National Executive Committee.

Elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham in 1971, he became the Mayor of Lewisham in 1977, before quitting the council at the 1990 London Borough elections. He unsuccessfully contested Birmingham Yardley at the 1983 general election where he finished in third place behind the sitting Conservative MP David Bevan. He was subsequently elected to the House of Commons for Birmingham Small Heath at the 1992 general election following the retirement of Denis Howell. Godsiff held Small Heath with a majority of 13,989 votes and has remained an MP since. His constituency was abolished in 1997 and aided by the retirement of Birmingham Sparkbrook MP Roy Hattersley, Godsiff was elected for the newly combined constituency of Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath at the 1997 general election

In Parliament he was a special adviser to the former Minister of Sport Richard Caborn on cricket and is the chairman of the All Party Japan Group. In October 2006, Godsiff was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party’s call for an inquiry into the Iraq War. He also rebelled against the government in November 2005 on legislation permitting the detention of terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial.

Constituency: Birmingham, Hall Green

Constituency Address: Biggleswade, Conservative Club, St. Andrews Street, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 8BA

Constituency Tel: 0121 6032299

Date of Birth: 28 June 1946

Email: godsiffr@parliament.uk

Party: Labour

Personal Website: http://www.rogergodsiffmp.co.uk/

Westminster Address: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Westminster Tel: 020 7219 5191

Twitter: @RogerGodfdsiff

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rogergodsiff?fref=ts