hiː fˈɜːst dʒˈɔɪnd ðə lˈeɪbɚ pˈɑːɹɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɛvən ænd hɐz sˈɜːvd æz ɐ bɹˈæntʃ ˈɑːfɪsɚ ænd kənstˈɪtʃuːənsi ˈɑːfɪsɚ fɔːɹ mˈʌtʃ ʌv ðæt tˈaɪm.
He first joined the Labour Party in 1977 and has served as a Branch Officer and Constituency Officer for much of that time.