Mike O'Brien (UK politician)

Michael O'Brien, known as Mike O'Brien, (born 19 June 1954, a son of Irish Catholic immigrants) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom and currently Minister of State for Energy at the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Early life

He went to the catholic St George's School on Thorneloe Walk in Barbourne, then the (catholic) Blessed Edward Oldcorne School on Timberdine Avenue in Worcester. He studied for a BA in History and Politics at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, then gained a PGCE. From 1977-80, he was a trainee solicitor, then worked as a teacher from 1980-1. He lectured in Law at Colchester College of Further and Higher Education from 1981-7. From 1987-92, he was a solicitor.

Parliamentary career

He contested Ruislip Northwood in 1983, and North Warwickshire in 1987.

He is the Member of Parliament for the West Midlands constituency of North Warwickshire. He has held the seat since being first elected at the 1992 general election, defeating the Conservative incumbent Francis Maude.

He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1997 to 2001, then at the Foreign Office from 2002 to 2003. He was then appointed Minister for Trade, serving until 9 September 2004, when he became Minister of State for E-commerce, Energy & Competitiveness at the Department for Trade and Industry. In 2005 he replaced Harriet Harman as Solicitor General.

On 29 June 2007 he moved to be the Minister of State for Pension Reform in the Department for Work and Pensions under Secretary of State Peter Hain. On 5 October 2008, he was moved to be Minister of State for Energy in the newly created Department for Energy and Climate Change.

External links

• Official site
• Department for Work and Pensions - Official Biography
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Michael O'Brien MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Mike O'Brien MP
• BBC Politics page

News items

• Pension reform in July 2007
• Wave Hub plan in Cornwall in November 2004
• UK embracing E-commerce in November 2004
• Meeting Colonel Gaddafi in August 2002
• 24 hour drinking in May 2001
• Accusing Home Office of racism in April 2000
• Accusing the Fire Service of racism in September 1999