Brian White (British politician)

Brian Arthur Robert White (5 May 1957 – 5 July 2016) was a British Labour politician. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Milton Keynes from the 1997 general election, but lost his seat in 2005.

Brian White
Member of Parliament
for North East Milton Keynes
In office
1 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byPeter Butler
Succeeded byMark Lancaster
Personal details
Born
Brian Arthur Robert White

(1957-05-05)5 May 1957
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died5 July 2016(2016-07-05) (aged 59)
Milton Keynes, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)
Leena Lindholm
​
(m. 1984)​
Children2 (stepsons)
EducationMethodist College Belfast
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life

He attended the Methodist College Belfast grammar school in Belfast.[1]

He worked for HM Customs and Excise in Southend-on-Sea on the design of the VAT accounting system, then became an IT consultant, working in the US, Finland and Canada, and for Abbey National until 1997.

Political career

Parliament

White was first elected to Parliament when Labour returned to power at the 1997 general election with a 240-vote majority,[2] when he overturned the Conservative Peter Butler's majority of 14,000 obtained at the previous election.[3]

He was returned at the 2001 election with a slightly increased majority of 1,829, but at the 2005 election he lost his seat to the Conservative candidate Mark Lancaster whose 1,665 majority represented a 3.6% swing.[4]

Local government

Before his election to Parliament in 1997, White had been a Labour member of Buckinghamshire County Council, Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes Council, and Secretary of the Local Government Association Labour Group. He had joined the local council in 1987, but resigned to take his seat in Parliament.

In the local elections of May 2007, he was elected to Milton Keynes Council as a member for Stantonbury.[5] He was re-elected in May 2011 and May 2014. He served as Mayor of Milton Keynes for a year from May 2013.

Other

He was a past Chair of the National Energy Foundation, Chair of United Sustainable Energy Agency and was on the Board of the Renewable Fuels Agency.[6] He was a key figure in establishing Careers-Action a charity formed to help management and professional level job seekers with job search training, information, resources and support.[7]

Personal life

He married Leena Lindholm on 4 July 1984 in Finland. He had two stepsons.

In late June 2016, White was diagnosed with an incurable cancer of the oesophagus which had metastasized. He died in Milton Keynes hospital on 5 July 2016. He was 59.[8]

References
  1. Langdon, Julia (18 July 2016). "Brian White obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  2. "Milton Keynes North East". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  3. "1992 General Election Results". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 18 September 2007.
  4. "Milton Keynes North East". Guardian Unlimited Politics. London. Archived from the original on 1 March 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2007.
  5. "Member Details: Councillor Brian WHITE". Milton Keynes Council. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009.
  6. "Our Directors". USEA. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. "About Careers-Action". Careers-Action. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. "'People's councillor' Brian White dies at the age of 59". Milton Keynes Citizen. 25 August 2016 [5 July 2016]. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Peter Butler		 Member of Parliament for North East Milton Keynes
1997–2005		 Succeeded by
Mark Lancaster
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