1939- . British Labour politician, member of
the shadow cabinet from 1986. Born in New
Zealand, he settled in Britain in 1964 as a
civil servant and then a university lecturer.
He joined the Labour Party, entering the
House of Commons in 1974. He lost his seat in
the 1979 general election but returned in
1983 as the member for Dagenham, having spent
the intervening four years as a television
journalist. His rise in the Labour Party was
rapid and in 1986 he became a member of the
shadow cabinet. His communication skills soon
made him a nationally known figure.