NEWS
News
AIFA in Parliament
 |
Manifesto Working Groups |
Biographies
The Rt Hon John Gummer MP
Chairman, AIFA
John Gummer was Margaret Thatcher’s Chairman of the Conservative Party and for 16 years a minister, becoming Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and then Secretary of State for the Environment.
His experience as an international negotiator has earned him worldwide respect both in the business community and among environmentalists.
Previous to his ministerial career he was a successful businessman and Chairman of a medium sized plc.
In consecutive years, the BBC unprecedentedly awarded him the title ‘Parliamentarian who did most for the Environment Internationally’, while the NGO community called him ‘the best Environment Secretary we have ever had’.
Since leaving office he has held the positions of Chairman of the International Commission on Sustainable Consumption, Chairman of the Marine Stewardship Council and Non-Executive Director of Kidde Plc. He is currently Chairman of The Sancroft Group, Chairman of Valpak Ltd. and Chairman of Veolia UK Ltd. He is also the Non-Executive Director of Sistema-Hals, a leading real estate development company in Russia.
In December 2005 David Cameron appointed him Chairman of the Quality of Life Commission. The Quality of Life report, “Blueprint for a Green Economy”, was launched in September 2007.
He has been appointed the independent Chairman of AIFA for six years.
Mike O'Brien
QC MP
Mike O'Brien was appointed Minister of State for Pension Reform on 29 June 2007, having formerly been Solicitor General.
Originally from the West Midlands, Mike was a lawyer and a lecturer before he was elected as the member for North Warwickshire on 9 April 1992.
Since then Mike has held a series of posts in Opposition and in the current Government.
- Home Affairs Select Committee (1992 – 1993) and the Treasury Select Committee (1993 – 1995);
-
Opposition Spokesman on Treasury and Economic Affairs (1995 – 1996);
-
Labour spokesman on the City (1996 – 1997);
-
Minister at the Home Office (1997 – 2001);
-
Minister (Middle East) at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2002 – 2003);
-
Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (2003 – 2004);
-
Minister of State for Energy and E-Commerce at the Department of Trade and Industry (2004 – 2005);
-
Solicitor General (2005 – 2007);
-
In 1993, the Police Federation asked him to be their first Labour parliamentary adviser in 20 years, a role he gave up on joining the front bench in 1995.
Mike has worked as a Minister on the Crime and Disorder Act, the Immigration and Asylum Act, the Human Rights Act, the Representation of the People Act 1999, the Political Parties and Referendum Bill, and the Race Relations Amendment Bill. He has also dealt with race equality, constitutional reform, animal issues (including fox hunting), gambling and alcohol licensing reform, and the fire service. He opened Ministerial discussions with Colonel Gadaffi of Libya on some of the Lockerbie issues and ending the Libyan nuclear programme. He was closely involved in developments in the Middle East and Afghanistan and was the first Minister to go to Baghdad after the fall of Saddam. He was parliamentary adviser to the Staff Association of Chief Police Officers in 2001 and is a member of the Appeals Committee of the Police Dependents' Trust, a charity which assists the families of police officers who have died on duty.
Mike O'Brien is married with two daughters.
Spring Digital