Ian Lavery Ian Lavery Ian Lavery (born 6 January 1963) is a British Labour Party politician and former trade union leader from Northumberland who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wansbeck since the 2010 general election. Born and raised in Ashington, Lavery began work in the construction industry after leaving school before becoming a mining apprentice. Noted for being the sole apprentice to refuse to work during the miners' strike of 1984-1985, he gradually rose up the ranks of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and was chosen to succeed Arthur Scargill as NUM President in 2002. Once elected to
Herbert Parkin became active in the Labour Party and was elected to Heanor Urban District Council in 1946. In 1948, he became president of his local DMA branch, and from 1951, he was vice-chair of Heanor UDC. Parkin was elected as vice-president of the reconstituted Derbyshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1951. The following year, the post of president became open, and he won the election, serving until 1966, when he took over as the union's general secretary, serving until his retirement in 1973. Herbert Parkin Herbert Edward Parkin (born 1908) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born