Jon Trickett - Parliamentary Career

Parliamentary Career

Elected on 1 February 1996 in a by-election brought about by the death of the previous MP, Labour's Derek Enright, Trickett was made PPS to Peter Mandelson after Labour was elected to power and worked in the Cabinet office and subsequently the DTI. After leaving the government at the time of Mandelson's fall from grace, Trickett was chair of the Compass pressure group.

He played a significant role in rebelling against the Iraq War and participated in demonstrations against the War in London, Wakefield and Leeds. He rebelled on a number of occasions against Tony Blair's attempts to bring about marketisation of public services. He led the demands for a recall of Parliament at the time of the Israeli attacks on the Lebanon. He led the campaign inside the Commons to amend the Companies Bill to secure public listed companies reporting on 'supply chain issues' in line with the suggestions of a range of non governmental organisations. He was a leading figure in the campaign to prevent a decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system in 2007. He was Jon Cruddas' campaign manager during the 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election. He had previously voted against the Blair Government's 90 detention proposals - the only time Blair was defeated in the Commons.

He and Cruddas voted in favour of the 42-day detention proposal and Trickett then resigned from his position in Compass after voting in favour of the legislation despite opposition from some members of Compass to the Bill.

In June 2007 he was asked by Gordon Brown to chair the party's manifesto group on housing, a position which he declined to take up.

Trickett was appointed by the trades unions as acting Chair of the Tribune newspaper Board in 2007, Trickett ceased in this role when the paper was taken over by a private proprietor.

Following the cabinet reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Trickett became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

On 7 October 2011, Trickett was appointed Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office by Labour Leader Ed Miliband.