David Clelland

David Gordon Clelland (born 27 June 1943) is a British Labour politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Tyne Bridge.

Early life

David Clelland was born in Gateshead and educated locally at the Kelvin Grove Boys' School (now a primary school) on Kelvin Grove and the Gateshead and Hebburn Technical Colleges. After leaving education in 1959 he was an electrical fitter for Rayrolle in Hebburn for twenty two years from 1964. He was elected as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1972 and became its leader in 1984.

Parliamentary career

It was very much a case of being in the right place at the right time when he was selected to contest the 1985 Tyne Bridge by-election, one of the safest Labour seats in the country, which had become vacant following the death of the MP Harry Cowans. Clelland won the seat at the by-election on 5 December 1985 with a majority of 6,575, and he has been the MP there since. At the by-election he defeated Rod Kenyon and Jacqui Lait, the future Conservative Member of Parliament for Beckenham.

In Parliament David Clelland served on the Home Affairs Select Committee from 1986 until he joined the Energy Select Committee for a year in 1989. He became a whip in opposition in 1995 under the leadership of Tony Blair and was made an Assistant Government Whip in office following the 1997 General Election. He was promoted to become a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury, a 'full' whip, in January 2001.

He ceased being a whip in 2002, and became a member of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee, until 2005. Since the 2005 General Election he has been a member of the Transport Committee. In 2002 he became an advisor to the Minister of Sport Richard Caborn on greyhound racing.

Following boundary changes the seat of Tyne Bridge will be abolished and replaced by a new seat Gateshead at the next Parliamentary election. Following a close fought contest with Sharon Hodgson, the MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, Clelland was chosen to fight the new seat at the next election for the Labour Party.

Controversy

David Clelland hit the headlines in July 2008 with his reply to a letter from a disgruntled constituent. The constituent, a Mr Gary Scott, wrote to Clelland accusing him of following the views of the Labour party and not those of his constituents. Clelland responded by saying: "Given your rude and offensive manner I accept your offer not to vote for me again - if indeed you ever have - I do not want your vote so you can stick it where it best pleases you.

Personal life

David Clelland married Maureen Potts on March 31 1965 in Gateshead, with whom he had two daughters and four grandchildren. In 1998 they separated after Clelland had an affair with his secretary, Brenda Graham, who he later married in 2005. Maureen Clelland died in May 2007.

References

External links

• David Clelland MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: David Clelland MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - David Clelland MP
• Public Whip - Voting Record: David Clelland MP
• BBC Politics