Nick Ainger

Nicholas Richard Ainger (born 24 October 1949) is a former British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pembrokeshire from 1992 to 1997 and then, following boundary changes, as MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 1997 to 2010, when he lost his seat.

Early life

Ainger was born in Sheffield in 1949, and was educated at the Netherthorpe Grammar School in Staveley, Derbyshire, and after leaving education in 1967 moved to Milford Haven and became a dock worker at the Marine and Port Services of Pembroke Dock. He was a senior shop steward in the Transport and General Workers' Union for 14 years whilst at the docks, and became elected to the former Dyfed County Council, on which he served from 1981 until his election to Parliament in 1992.

Parliamentary career

Ainger was first elected for the seat of Pembrokeshire at the 1992 general election with a slender majority of 755. He re-elected in 1997 for the re-drawn seat of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire with a majority of 9,621.

From 1997 to 2001, Ainger served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales Office (and its predecessor the Welsh Office), serving three successive Welsh Secretaries (Ron Davies, Alun Michael and Paul Murphy). He was promoted in 2001 to Commons Whip and a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. In 2005 he was promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Wales Office, a position he held until 2007. From November 2007 to May 2010 he was a member of the Treasury Select Committee. He campaigned on fuel poverty and better regulation of the banking industry.

At the 2010 general election, Ainger was defeated by the Conservative Party candidate Simon Hart.

External links

• Nick Ainger official website
• Nick Ainger Welsh Labour Party profile
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record