David Clelland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Clelland MP | |
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Member of Parliament
for Tyne Bridge |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 5 December 1985 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Cowans |
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| Born | 27 June 1943 Gateshead |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 2 from previous marriage |
David Gordon Clelland (born June 27, 1943) British politician. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Tyne Bridge.
David Clelland was born in Gateshead and educated locally at the Kelvin Grove Boys' School and the Gateshead and Hebburn Technical College. From leaving education in 1959 he was 22 years an electrical fitter for Rayrolle in Hebburn. He was elected as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1972 and became its leader in 1984. 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 becoming vacant following the death of its MP Harry Cowans. Clelland won the seat at the by-election on December 5, 1985 with a majority of 6,575, and he has been the MP there since. The SDP-Liberal Alliance candidate who came second was Rod Kenyon who is now with Centrica Plc.The Conservative candidate at the by-election was the present MP for Beckenham Jacqui Lait.
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 and was promoted to become a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury, a 'full' whip in January 2001. He became a member of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee in 2002 until 2005, and in 2002 he became an advisor to the Minister of Sport Richard Caborn on greyhound racing. He has been a Member of the Transport Committee since the 2005 General Election.
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 election for the Labour Party.
He was married to the late Maureen Clelland (nee Potts) in 1965 (who passed away in May 2007); they have two daughters and 4 grandchildren. He is a none smoker.
