I was first elected as Member of Parliament in 1992 and have lived in the Constituency at Royston since 1981. I am married to Christine and we have three children: Sarah, William and Victoria.

I was born in Reading and went to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where I studied Law. It was while training as a barrister that I ran a Southwark youth football team with Clive Efford (now a Labour MP) and started doing free legal work for the Free Representation Unit, which instilled a long-term interest in social and employment issues.