Bob Laxton

Robert Laxton (born 7 September 1944) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North from 1997 until standing down at the 2010 general election.

Early life

Laxton attended the Woodlands Secondary Modern School (became the Woodlands Community School) on Blenheim Drive in Allestree. He also attended the Derby College of Art and Technology on Kedleston Road (became the University of Derby). He was a telecommunications engineer for the GPO from 1961 (became British Telecom, then BT plc). Whilst in this employment, he was a union representative and branch official for the Post Office Engineering Union, which became the National Communications Union in 1985, and finally the Communication Workers Union in 1995.

Prior to becoming an MP he was Leader of Derby City Council from 1986–88 and again from 1994-97 having become a councillor in 1979.

Parliamentary career

During the 2001 Parliament he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Alan Johnson, an old friend from his days as a union official who was successively Higher Education Minister and then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions but in 2005 he stood down from this role to become a British representative on the Council of Europe.

He is Chair of the Waterways All-Party Parliamentary Group.

On 19 October 2009, Laxton announced his intention to stand down at the next general election.