Jeff Rooker
Jeffrey William Rooker, Baron Rooker PC (born 5 June 1941) is a British politician and life peer who served as a government minister from 1997 to 2008. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Perry Barr from 1974 to 2001.
The Right Honourable The Lord Rooker PC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of the House of Lords | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 June 2005 – 5 October 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | The Baroness Amos The Baroness Ashton of Upholland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jeffrey William Rooker 5 July 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour (since 2013; before 2009) Independent (2009–2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Aston University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Raised and educated in Birmingham, Rooker worked as a production engineer in the city before lecturing in the subject at Lanchester Polytechnic. He studied at Aston University and the University of Warwick; and he eventually gained a postgraduate degree in industrial relations. After unsuccessfully attempting to be elected to Birmingham City Council in 1966, he was elected to the House of Commons at the February 1974 general election and joined the government after the Labour victory at the 1997 general election as Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Upon standing down from the Commons at the 2001 general election, Rooker was later appointed to the House of Lords where he continued to serve in the government under several ministerial portfolios until 2008, including as Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and Minister of State for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health from 2005 to 2008. He resigned the Labour whip in 2009 after being appointed chair of the Food Standards Agency. He sat as an independent member in the House of Lords until 2013 when, standing down as chair of the FSA, he took up the Labour whip once again.