Title: Politician
General: Mike Gapes MP was first elected as Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Ilford South in April 1992. He was re-elected in 1997, 2001 and 2005. He contested Ilford North for Labour at the 1983 General Election. Mike Gapes was elected as Chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee in July 2005. He had previously served as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 1992 to 1997, and the Defence Committee from 1999-2001 and 2003 to 2005. Mike Gapes was Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Northern Ireland Office from 1997 to 1999 and Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Home Office from 2001 to 2002. He was Chair of the Board of Governors of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy from 2002 to 2005. Mike Gapes is Chairman of the All Party Crossrail Group. He is a trustee of the Webb Memorial Trust and a Member of the Council of Voluntary Service Overseas; a trustee of the Parkside Community Centre; a Vice President of Ilford Football Club; Vice Chairman of Redbridge Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Valentines Park Conservationists. Mike Gapes is a Member of the Transport and General Workers Union, the Co-operative Party and the Fabian Society. Before his election to Parliament Mike Gapes worked at Labour Party Headquarters for 15 years including serving from 1988 to 1992 as International Secretary of the Labour Party, and prior to that as a Policy Research Officer and as the National Student Organiser of the Labour Party. Mike has also worked in the National Health Service, in Adult Education and as a Voluntary Service Overseas teacher in Swaziland, Southern Africa. Mike Gapes was born in Wanstead Hospital on 4 September 1952. He was educated at Staples Road Infants School Loughton; Manford Primary School Hainault; Buckhurst Hill County High School; Fitzwilliam College Cambridge University and Middlesex Polytechnic. A fanatical supporter of West Ham United Mike is a season ticket holder in the Bobby Moore Stand at Upton Park.