Vernon Coaker

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Vernon Rodney Coaker (born 17 June 1953) has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gedling since 1997. He also served as the Minister of State for Schools from 2009 to 2010, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence from 2013 to 2015 and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from October 2011 to October 2013, and again from September 2015 until his resignation in June 2016 from the Shadow Cabinet.

Political career
Coaker served as a district councillor for the Cotgrave Ward in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire from 1983 to 1997 and was leader of the Labour group on the council between 1987 and 1997. He contested the Rushcliffe constituency seat in 1983. He contested Gedling in 1987 and 1992 before defeating Andrew Mitchell in the 1997 election, becoming the first Labour MP to win the Gedling seat.

After a number of Parliamentary Private Secretary roles, Coaker became a government whip in May 2005 having been as assistant whip since June 2003. He served as a Minister of State at the Home Office between 2008 and 2009 before being moving to take up the role of Minister of State for Schools and Learning between 2009 and 2010. Following the Labour defeat at the 2010 General Election, Coaker was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in October 2011.