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Alan Whitehead

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British Labour politician For other people named Alan Whitehead, see Alan Whitehead (disambiguation).

Alan Whitehead
Official portrait, 2017
Shadow Minister for Energy Security
In office
8 October 2016 – 4 July 2024
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer
Preceded byHimself
In office
18 September 2015 – 28 June 2016
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byJonathan Reynolds
Succeeded byHimself
Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling
In office
14 January 2020 – 9 April 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded bySandy Martin
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
In office
11 June 2001 – 28 May 2002
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of Parliament
for Southampton Test
In office
1 May 1997 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byJames Hill
Succeeded bySatvir Kaur
Personal details
Born (1950-09-15) 15 September 1950 (age 74)
Isleworth, Middlesex, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Southampton
WebsiteOfficial website
Academic background
ThesisPetitions, Parliament and the public: an analysis of the changing nature of corruption, 1868–1883 (1976)

Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead (born 15 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Southampton Test from 1997 to 2024. He served as Shadow Minister for Energy Security, previously Green New Deal and Energy, from 2015 to 2024. He served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions from 2001 to 2002.

Early life and career

Alan Whitehead was born on 15 September 1950 in Isleworth, London, and attended Isleworth Grammar School. He studied Politics and Philosophy at the University of Southampton, where he became President of University of Southampton Students' Union and received a PhD in Political Science.

From 1979 to 1982 he was Director of OUTSET charity, then from 1983 to 1992 he worked for the BIIT charity, where he was also a director.

Whitehead was the Leader of Southampton City Council from 1984 to 1992 and a professor of Public Policy at Southampton Institute. As leader of Southampton City Council in 1986, Whitehead proposed that the city council take measures to become a 'self sustaining city' with regard to energy generation. One such measure was the conversion of Southampton Civic Centre to being heated by local reservoirs of geothermal energy.

Parliamentary career

At the 1979 general election, Whitehead stood as the Labour candidate in New Forest, coming third with 19.7% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Patrick McNair-Wilson and the Liberal candidate.

Whitehead stood in Southampton Test in three successive elections, 1983, 1987, and 1992. In 1983 with 28.1% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP James Hill. He came second again in 1987 with 33.3% of the vote, again behind James Hill. In 1992 he again came second behind James Hill, with 42.4% of the vote.

At the 1997 general election, Whitehead was elected to Parliament as MP for Southampton Test with 54.1% of the vote and a majority of 13,684.

He was re-elected as MP for Southampton Test at the 2001 general election with a decreased vote share of 52.5% and a decreased majority of 11,207.

From June 2001 to May 2002, Whitehead was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Whitehead was again re-elected at the 2005 general election with a decreased vote share of 42.7% and a decreased majority of 7,018.

Whitehead's Private Members Bill was 'talked out' by Conservative backbenchers in 2005, but many of its most important aspects were incorporated into the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006, sponsored by fellow Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz.

In June 2006, the UK Parliamentary Football Team ran a charity match in Portugal against the Portuguese Parliament, which coincided with part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The match and the trip were sponsored by McDonald's as part of their Football in the Community Programme. The UKPFC was criticised by the British Medical Association for accepting McDonald's sponsorship. Whitehead, who was the goalkeeper for the UKPFC, fully declared the sponsorship in his register of members interests. He also pointed out the trip was part of a long-standing fundraising campaign between the UKPFC and McDonald's that raised over 20,000 euros for local charities.

In September 2006, Whitehead voted against the Iraq War on the basis of the mission not receiving endorsement from the UN.

Also in September 2006, Whitehead criticised the results of the Energy Review, and was the co-author of EDM 2204 which states 'the case for nuclear has not yet been made' and urges the government to 'recognise the enormous potential for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by energy efficiency and conservation, greater use of combined heat and power, and rapid investment in the full range of renewable technologies, including microgeneration'.

Due to the high concentration of houses in multiple occupation in Southampton, in May 2007 Whitehead proposed changing planning regulations which would mean a landlord would be required to apply for planning permission if they wanted to convert a family home into an HMO housing more than four people. The proposal was considered as part of the government's current review of the private housing sector, to report in October 2008.

Whitehead rebelled in October 2009 against a government 3-line whip on the renewal of the UK Trident programme. His rebellion was put down to the fact that he was a historical supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, having paid a subscription to Southampton CND in 1982.

At the 2010 general election, Whitehead was again re-elected with a decreased vote share of 38.5% and a decreased majority of 2,413.

Whitehead is an outspoken supporter of action on anthropogenic climate change, and in September 2013 called debate by members of parliament who reject the scientific view a "flat earth love-in".

Whitehead was again re-elected at the 2015 general election, with an increased vote share of 41.3% and an increased majority of 3,810.

He supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election.

From October 2016 to April 2020, Whitehead was Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change.

Whitehead was one of the 52 Labour MPs who defied Jeremy Corbyn and in February 2017 voted against triggering Article 50. He claimed that triggering Article 50 without clarity on what would be done was not in the UK's best interest, and he was not prepared to stand by and allow the country to go down what he regarded as a potentially very dangerous path.

At the snap 2017 general election, Whitehead was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 58.7% and an increased majority of 11,508.

Whitehead was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 49.5% and a decreased majority of 6,213.

In March 2020, Whitehead was appointed Shadow Minister for Energy and the Green New Deal.

In January 2022 Whitehead announced that he would be standing down at the next general election.

Personal life

Whitehead married Sophie Wronska in 1979, and they have a son and daughter.

He is a member of the Saints Trust and plays in the UK parliamentary football team. After looking at the possibility of being the first MP to install a wind turbine installed on his constituency home roof in Highfield, Southampton, Whitehead installed a number of solar panels that were integrated into the roof. During the summer months, Whitehead says he sells electricity from this source back to the national grid.

He is a visiting professor in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Society at Southampton Solent University.

Notes

  1. Green New Deal and Energy (2020–23), Energy and Climate Change (2015–20)

References

  1. "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. "Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions". Gov.UK. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Vote 2001 candidates: Alan Whitehead". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  4. "Southampton is the Green Harbour of Britain". Archived from the original on 30 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006. Alan-Whitehead.org, 24 May 2006
  5. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  6. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  7. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  8. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  9. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. "Health and safety Ministers launch Malta twinning project". Press Release E065:02. Health and Safety Executive. 27 March 2002. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  12. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. "Management of Energy in Buildings". House of Commons. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  14. "MP defends McDonald's-paid trip". BBC News. 16 June 2004.
  15. "House of Commons – Register of Members' Interests". House of Commons. UK Parliament.
  16. "MPs defend free World Cup tickets". BBC News. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  17. "The Iraq situation – text of a speech given in Southampton". Archived from the original on 30 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006. Alan-Whitehead.org, 24 May 2004
  18. "Nuclear power: the unanswered questions". Archived from the original on 30 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006. Alan-Whitehead.org, 13 July 2006
  19. "Early day motion 2204: New Nuclear Build". House of Commons. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  20. "Protecting Family Homes- 10-minute rule bill". Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Alan-Whitehead.org, 22 May 2007
  21. "New review to help people living in Houses in Multiple Occupation". Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Communities and Local Government, 9 April 2008
  22. "Southampton CND Membership list". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009.
  23. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  24. "BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Southampton Test". BBC News.
  25. "10 Sep 2013 : Column 238WH". House of Commons. UK Parliament. Section: Debate on the Climate Change Act. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  26. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  27. "BBC NEWS – Election 2015 – Southampton Test". BBC News.
  28. Smith, Mikey; Bloom, Dan (20 July 2016). "Which MPs are nominating Owen Smith in the Labour leadership contest?". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  29. "Labour reappoints Alan Whitehead as Shadow Energy Minister". theade.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  30. Bush, Stephen (7 February 2017). "House of Commons votes to trigger Article 50 by 494 to 122: the full list of Labour rebels". New Statesman.
  31. "An Update on Brexit". Alan Whitehead MP. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  32. "Election for the constituency of Southampton, Test on 8 June 2017". electionresults.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  33. "Southampton Test Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  34. "Whitehead re-appointed to Labour's energy brief". utilityweek.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  35. "Southampton Test Labour MP Alan Whitehead to step down". BBC News. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  36. Bio Archived 3 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine Alan-Whitehead.org

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded byJames Hill Member of Parliament for Southampton Test
1997–2024 		Succeeded bySatvir Kaur
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