Paul Burstow

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Paul Burstow
honorific-suffix =MP
party = Liberal Democrat

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office = Liberal Democrat Chief Whip
term_start = 22 March2006
predecessor = Andrew Stunell
term_end =
successor =
constituency_MP2 = Sutton and Cheam
term_start2 = 1 May1997
term_end2 =
parliament2 =
majority2 = 2,846 (6.8%)
predecessor2 = Olga Maitland
successor2 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1962|5|13|df=y
birth_place = Carshalton
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Mary Everdell Kemm
relations =
children = 1 son, 2 daughters
residence =
alma_mater = South Bank Polytechnic
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Paul Kenneth Burstow (born May 13, 1962), British politician. He is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam.

Early life

Paul Burstow was born in Carshalton the son of a tailor, and he was educated at the Glastonbury High School for Boys (became [http://www.abbey.sutton.sch.uk Abbey Primary School] ), a secondary modern school in Morden, in the same year as DJ Carl Cox; Carshalton College of Further Education; and the South Bank Polytechnic, where he obtained a degree in business studies. He started his career as a buying assistant with Allied Shoe Repairs in 1985. In 1986 he worked briefly in print sales with KallKwik Printers, before becoming a research assistant at the London Borough of Hounslow in 1987.

Politics Before Parliament

He was elected as a councillor to the Sutton Borough Council in 1985, and was its deputy leader 1994-7, he remained a councillor for the Rosehill Ward in Sutton until 2002, after his election to parliament.

In 1988 he joined the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors as a campaigns officer, becoming its political secretary in 1996, where he remained until becoming an MP.

Election and Parliamentary Career

Paul Burstow first contested the Sutton and Cheam Parliamentary seat for the Liberal Democrats at the 1992 General Election. He was defeated by the Conservative Lady Olga Maitland despite achieving one of the largest swings to the Liberal Democrats in London at that election.

He contested the seat again in 1997, this time being elected as its Liberal Democrat MP with a majority of 2,097. Paul joined several other new Lib Dem MPs as many other south west London seats were gained by the Liberal Democrats at the same election.

He made his maiden speech on May 16, 1997, speaking passionately about the needs of the blind and the disabled people [ [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970516/debtext/70516-15.htm#70516-15_spnew0 Paul Burstow's Maiden Speech] - "Hansard"] . On his election, Burstow immediately became a spokesman on the Environment under Paddy Ashdown. He became the spokesman on Social Security in 1999 on the election of Charles Kennedy as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. After the 2001 General Election he became the Health spokesman. He has been the parliamentary ambassador to the NSPCC since 2001. He was promoted to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health in 2003. He stepped down from the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet following the 2005 General Election, but was appointed as the spokesman on London. On March 22 2006, Liberal Democrats MPs elected him their Chief Whip. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4835310.stm Lib Dems name Burstow chief whip] - "BBC News" 2006-03-22]

Paul Burstow has a reputation for his work with and for older people. In 2003 The Guardian [ [http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,7843,1038556,00.html The opposition] - "The Guardian" 2003-09-10] described Mr Burstow as: "One of the most knowledgeable and effective politicians on older people's issues". He was voted by MPs as older people's champion in the epolitix Charity Champion awards [ [http://www.charitychampionawards.com/supporting-articles/paul_burstow.htm Paul Burstow] - "Charitychampionawards.com" 2005] in December 2005.

Paul Burstow introduced the Care of Older and Incapacitated People (Human Rights) Bill in January 2006. It provides proposals to increase the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect.

Personal life

He married Mary Everdell Kemm in 1995 and they have a son and two daughters.

References

External links

* [http://www.paulburstow.org.uk Paul Burstow MP] official site
* [http://www.libdems.org.uk/people/paul-burstow Paul Burstow MP] profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
* [http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsites/Paul+Burstow/ ePolitix.com — Paul Burstow]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-754,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle: Paul Burstow MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/paul_burstow/sutton_and_cheam TheyWorkForYou.com — Paul Burstow MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Paul_Burstow&mpc=Sutton+%26amp%3B+Cheam The Public Whip — Paul Burstow MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/563.stm BBC News — Paul Burstow] profile 16 March, 2006