He was formerly Lord Mayor of Manchester for 2005–2006, and served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England from 2014 to 2017.
hiː wʌz fˈɔːɹmɚli lˈɔːɹd mˈeɪɚɹ ʌv mˈæntʃɛstɚ fɔːɹ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks, ænd sˈɜːvd æz ɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðə jˌʊɹɹəpˈiən pˈɑːɹləmənt ˌɛmˌiːpˈiː fɔːɹ nˈɔːɹθ wˈɛst ˈɪŋɡlənd fɹʌm tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹtiːn tə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn.