John McDonnell
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The Right Honourable John McDonnell MP |
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McDonnell addressing the 2016 Labour Party Conference
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| Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
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Assumed office 13 September 2015 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Shadowing |
George Osborne Philip Hammond |
| Preceded by | Chris Leslie |
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Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington |
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Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Terry Dicks |
| Majority | 15,700 (34.8%) |
| Deputy Leader of the Greater London Council | |
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In office 1984–1985 |
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| Leader | Ken Livingstone |
| Preceded by | Illtyd Harrington |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ward |
| Councillor for the Greater London Council | |
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In office 7 May 1981 – 31 March 1986 |
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| Ward | Hayes and Harlington |
| Preceded by | A. H. S. Hull |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Majority | 4,346 (17.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Martin McDonnell 8 September 1951 Liverpool, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater |
Brunel University Birkbeck, University of London |
| Website | john-mcdonnell |
John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British Labour Party politician who was appointed the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in September 2015. He became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington at the 1997 general election, and has retained his seat subsequently.
He has served as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group in Parliament and the Labour Representation Committee, and was the chair of the Public Services Not Private Profit Group. He is also Parliamentary Convenor of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group of eight left-wing trade unions representing over half a million workers. McDonnell attempted to stand for the post of Labour Party leader following Tony Blair's resignation in 2007 but was unable to gain sufficient nominations. He was a candidate for leader again in 2010 following Gordon Brown's resignation but withdrew in favour of Diane Abbott, feeling that he would be unable to secure enough nominations.
Following Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader, he appointed McDonnell as his Shadow Chancellor. Alongside Corbyn, McDonnell has been seen as a key figure on the left of the party. As Shadow Chancellor, McDonnell pledged to increase spending on infrastructure and research, describing his vision for the economy as "socialism with an iPad."
Born in Liverpool, McDonnell's family moved to the south of England when he was very young; his father became a bus driver and was a branch secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union. McDonnell attended Great Yarmouth Grammar School, but left at the age of 17. Afterwards, he held a series of unskilled jobs. After marrying his first wife, he studied for A-levels at night school at Burnley Technical College, and at the age of 23 he moved to Hayes in Greater London, attended Brunel University, and took a Bachelor of Science degree in Government and Politics. During this period, he helped his wife run a small children's home in Hayes, and was active on behalf of his local community and for National Union of Public Employees. After completing his Master of Science in Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck College, University of London, he became a researcher and official with the National Union of Mineworkers from 1977 to 1978, and later the Trades Union Congress from 1978 to 1982. From 1985 to 1987, he was head of the Policy Unit at Camden Borough Council, then chief executive of the Association of London Authorities from 1987 to 1995 and the Association of London Government from 1995–97.
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