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[[Category:Labour Members of Parliament]]
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{{Infobox MP
|image = Official portrait of Daniel Zeichner crop 2.jpg
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}
|office = [[Department for Transport|Shadow Minister for Transport]]
|leader = [[Jeremy Corbyn]]
|term_start = 18 September 2015
|term_end = 29 June 2017
|predecessor = [[John Woodcock (politician)|John Woodcock]]
|successor = [[Rachael Maskell]]
|office1 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br>for [[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge]]
|term_start1 = 8 May 2015
|term_end1 =
|predecessor1 = [[Julian Huppert]]
|successor1 =
|majority1 = 12,661 (22.6%)
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|11|9|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Beckenham]], England
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
|partner = Barbara Ziolkowska
|alma_mater = [[King's College, Cambridge]]
|website = {{url|www.danielzeichner.co.uk}}
}}
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'''Daniel Stephen Zeichner''' (born 9 November 1956) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] [[politician]]. He was elected in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2015|2015 general election]] as the [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge]], replacing the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Julian Huppert]]. Before entering Parliament, Zeichner was a councillor for eight years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-general-election-2015-results-analysis/story-26450727-detail/story.html|title=Cambridge general election 2015 results: Daniel Zeichner wins the seat from Julian Huppert|date=8 May 2015|publisher=Cambridge News|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509043058/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-general-election-2015-results-analysis/story-26450727-detail/story.html|archivedate=9 May 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
'''Daniel Stephen Zeichner''' (born 9 November 1956) was elected in the 2015 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for [[Cambridge]], replacing the Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert. Before entering Parliament, Zeichner was a councillor for eight years.
==Early life==
Daniel Zeichner was born in [[Beckenham]] in 1956. His father was an [[Austria]]n immigrant and his mother was the descendant of agricultural workers from [[Cambridgeshire]]. As a teenager, Zeichner was a middle-distance runner.<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history">{{cite book | first1=Richard | last1=Johnson | title=Camaraderie: One hundred years of the Cambridge Labour Party, 1912-2012 | publisher=Cambridge Labour Party | date=2012 | last2=Walsh | first2=Ashley | location=Cambridge | pages=240–3 | isbn=978-0-86117-498-0}}</ref> He attended [[Trinity School of John Whitgift]], a former [[grammar school]], turned [[Independent school (United Kingdom)|independent school]].
In 1976, Zeichner came to the [[University of Cambridge]] to read history at [[King's College, Cambridge|King's College]]. At King's, Zeichner met Barbara 'Budge' Ziolkowska who would become his life partner. They lived in [[Comberton]], a village 6 miles (10 km) south-west of the city of [[Cambridge]] and joined the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] in 1979.<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history" />
Zeichner’s first job after graduation was as a trainee [[computer]] [[programmer]], working for [[Cambridgeshire County Council]] at the registry office next to Shire Hall on [[Castle Hill, Cambridge]]. He would later work in [[Information technology|IT]] for a number of companies, including Norwich Union in Norfolk, [[Philips]] in [[Chesterton, Cambridge|East Chesterton]] and at [[Perkins Engines]] in [[Peterborough]].<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history" />
In 1992, Zeichner was hired to work for [[Norwich South (UK Parliament constituency)|Norwich South]] MP [[John Garrett (British politician)|John Garrett]], working for Garrett and his successor [[Charles Clarke]] until 1999.<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history" /> In 2002, Zeichner began working for [[UNISON]], the public sector trade union where he served as a political officer until his election as [[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Cambridge]] in 2015.
==Political career==
Zeichner has served several terms on Labour's [[National Policy Forum]], the Labour Party’s top policy-making body. He was first elected to represent the [[East of England]] on the body shortly after it was first established by [[Tony Blair]] as part of the 'Partnership in Power' process.<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history" />
Zeichner was elected as a councillor in [[Burston, Norfolk]], in 1995, a position in which he would serve until 2003. During this time, Zeichner became leader of the Labour group on [[South Norfolk|South Norfolk District Council]].
Zeichner stood unsuccessfully for Parliament four times. He contested [[Mid Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Norfolk]] first in [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997]], losing by fewer than 1,400 votes. He stood again in [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|2001]] and [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005]], being defeated by larger margins. In 2006, he was selected as the candidate for the [[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge]] constituency which had been lost by Labour to the Liberal Democrats the previous year.
At the election in 2010, Zeichner came third in Cambridge, polling 24% of the vote.
At the election in [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010]], Zeichner came third in Cambridge, polling 24% of the vote. He caused controversy during the election campaign after he criticised the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] for allying with '[[fascists]]' in the [[European Parliament]]. Referring to the Polish [[Law and Justice|Law and Justice Party]] which sits with the Conservatives in the [[Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists]], Zeichner performed a [[Nazi salute]] during a debate at the [[Cambridge Union Society]]. The incident received national press coverage. Local rabbi Reuven Leigh said at the time, "To make light of the Nazi salute and to accuse these parties, who are not [[anti-Semitic]] is absolutely disgusting."<ref>{{cite web|author=Emily Andrews |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1268389/Labour-candidate-performing-Nazi-salute-Cambridge-University-debate.html |title=Labour candidate under fire for performing Nazi salute at Cambridge University debate |work=Daily Mail |date=24 April 2010 |accessdate=8 May 2015}}</ref>
He contested the seat [[United Kingdom general election, 2015|five years later]], and increased his vote by more than 11 percentage points, defeating incumbent MP [[Julian Huppert]] by 599 votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=149&RPID=42999381&_ga=1.178079975.358059386.1431123725|title=Election results for Cambridge Borough, 7 May 2015|date=7 May 2015|publisher=}}</ref> He was appointed as a Shadow Transport Minister (with responsibility for buses, bikes and walking) on 18 September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cycling-public-transport-priority-Cambridge-MP/story-27825444-detail/story.html|title=Cambridge News - News, Sport and Events from around Cambridge|website=www.cambridge-news.co.uk}}</ref> In the snap [[United Kingdom general election, 2017|2017 general election]] Zeichner retained his seat with an increased majority, again over Julian Huppert, of 12,661.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cambridge Parliamentary constituency|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000617|accessdate=12 June 2017|publisher=BBC|date=9 June 2017}}</ref>
==Political positions==
Zeichner describes his politics as 'socialist in a modern context'.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Capel|first1=Grace|title=The lighter touch of Cantab politics|work=Varsity|date=27 October 2006}}</ref> He supported [[Tony Benn]] in the [[Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 1981|1981 deputy leadership election]].<ref name="Cambridge Labour Party history" /> In the [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010|2010 Labour leadership election]], Zeichner supported [[EdEdward Miliband]]. In the [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2015|2015 Labour leadership election]] he supported [[Yvette Cooper]]. Zeichner supported Owen Smith in the September 2016 Labour Party leadership elections. Zeichner opposes Trident renewal.
Zeichner opposes Trident renewal.
In June 2017, Zeichner resigned as a Shadow Transport Minister, in order to vote in favour of an amendment to the government's 2017 Queen's Speech supporting the UK's membership of the [[European Single Market|single market]], in defiance of the party whip. The amendment, which was defeated by 322 votes to 101, was tabled by former Shadow Cabinet Minister [[Chuka Umunna]]. In justifying his decision, Zeichner explained:<blockquote>My position on Europe has always been clear. I am a passionate pro-European and a straight-forward politician ... I promised the people of Cambridge I would stick to my principles and I would do right by our city - that means voting with my conscience and doing all I can to oppose the Tories’ extreme Brexit which would, in my opinion, damage our economy, our security and our society as a whole<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/daniel-zeichner-resign-shadow-minister-13260352|title=Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner resigns as Shadow Minister|last=|first=|date=29 June 2017|website=Cambridge News|access-date=30 June 2017}}</ref></blockquote>Zeichner is an Executive Member of [[Socialist Environment and Resources Association|SERA - Labour's Environment Campaign]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sera.org.uk/executive_committee|title=SERA’s 2016/17 Executive Committee|work=SERA - Labour's Environment Campaign|access-date=2017-06-20}}</ref>
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