Ben's
Biography
Ben's
main policy interests |
| Before
his election Ben was a journalist. He trained on the 'Express & Echo' in
Exeter before working for BBC Radio Devon for three years. He was then appointed
the BBC's Berlin correspondent, covering the fall of the Berlin wall and
German unification. Most recently he has worked for Radio 4's 'World at
One' and 'World This Weekend' as a reporter and presenter. |
| On
1st May 1997 he was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Exeter
with one of the largest swings to the party in the South West. |
| The
result was: |
| Labour
|
29,398 |
47.5% |
| Conservative
|
17,693 |
28.6% |
| Liberal
Democrat |
11,148 |
18% |
|
| This was
an 11.9% swing from Conservative to Labour, giving Ben a majority of 11,705
(18.92%). |
|
| Ben's
main policy interests are: |
| Foreign
Affairs, particularly Europe; Environmental issues, particularly 'green'
transport; Electoral reform and the modernisation of Parliament. |
| He is a
member of the European Scrutiny Committee which scrutinises all European
legislation and of the Ecclesiastical Committee which scrutinises decisions
of the Church of England General Synod. He is Chair of the 'All-Party Parliamentary
Cycling Group' and Secretary of 'Labour Movement for Europe'. He is a member
of the Board of the European Movement and is also a member of several other
organisations including the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, SERA (the
Labour Party's environmental group), Christian Socialist Movement, Amnesty
International and the Campaign for Real Ale. |
| Ben has
introduced a Private Members' Bill in Parliament since the election. 'The
Pesticides Act', which became law in 1998, has released to the public information
on the pesticides used in food production. |
|
In 'real life' Ben is a keen cyclist, enjoys walking (particularly on Dartmoor),
music and cooking. When he can he relaxes with his large family, including
9 nephews and nieces and 5 godchildren. . |
|