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[[Category:Labour Members of Parliament]]
[[Category:Labour Members of Parliament]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = Stephen Timms
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}
| image = Official portrait of Stephen Timms crop 2.jpg
| office = [[Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions]]<br>{{small|Acting}}
| leader = [[Harriet Harman]] {{small|(Acting)}}
| term_start = 8 June 2015
| term_end = 13 September 2015
| predecessor = [[Rachel Reeves]]
| successor = [[Owen Smith]]
| office1 = [[Department for Work and Pensions|Shadow Minister for Employment]]
| leader1 = [[Ed Miliband]]<br>[[Harriet Harman]] {{small|(Acting)}}
| term_start1 = 8 October 2010
| term_end1 = 13 September 2015
| predecessor1 = [[Mark Hoban]]
| successor1 = [[Emily Thornberry]]
| office2 = [[Minister of State for Competitiveness]]
| primeminister2 = [[Gordon Brown]]
| term_start2 = 12 July 2007
| term_end2 = 11 May 2010
| predecessor2 = Position established
| successor2 = Position abolished
| office3 = [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]]
| primeminister3 = [[Gordon Brown]]
| term_start3 = 5 October 2008
| term_end3 = 11 May 2010
| predecessor3 = [[Jane Kennedy (politician)|Jane Kennedy]]
| successor3 = [[Mark Hoban]]
| primeminister4 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start4 = 12 September 2004
| term_end4 = 6 May 2005
| predecessor4 = [[Ruth Kelly]]
| successor4 = [[John Healey (politician)|John Healey]]
| primeminister5 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start5 = 29 July 1999
| term_end5 = 8 June 2001
| predecessor5 = [[Barbara Roche]]
| successor5 = [[Paul Boateng]]
| office6 = [[Chief Secretary to the Treasury]]
| primeminister6 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start6 = 5 May 2006
| term_end6 = 28 June 2007
| predecessor6 = [[Des Browne]]
| successor6 = [[Andy Burnham]]
| office7 = [[Department for Work and Pensions|Minister of State for Pensions]]
| primeminister7 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start7 = 6 May 2005
| term_end7 = 5 May 2006
| predecessor7 = [[Malcolm Wicks]]
| successor7 = [[James Purnell]]
| primeminister8 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start8 = 23 December 1998
| term_end8 = 29 July 1999
| predecessor8 = [[John Denham (politician)|John Denham]]
| successor8 = [[Jeff Rooker, Baron Rooker|Jeff Rooker]]
| office9 = [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom)|Minister of State for Schools]]
| primeminister9 = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start9 = 11 June 2001
| term_end9 = 24 October 2002
| predecessor9 = [[Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley|Estelle Morris]]
| successor9 = [[David Miliband]]
| office10 = [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]]<br>for [[East Ham (UK Parliament constituency)|East Ham]]<br>{{small|[[Newham North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham North East]] (1994–1997)}}
| term_start10 = 9 June 1994
| term_end10 =
| predecessor10 = [[Ron Leighton]]
| successor10 =
| majority10 = 39,883 (70.4%)
| birth_name = Stephen Creswell Timms
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|7|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Oldham]], England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| spouse = Hui-Leng Lim {{small|(1986–present)}}
| alma_mater = [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.stephentimms.org.uk}}
}}
'''Stephen Creswell Timms''' (born 29 July 1955) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician who has been the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[East Ham (UK Parliament constituency)|East Ham]] since 1997. He has sat in Parliament since retaining the earlier [[Newham North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham North East]] seat for his party at a [[Newham North East by-election, 1994|1994 byelection]]. Timms served in the government for several periods as the [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]], from 1999 to 2001, 2004 to 2005, and 2008 to 2010.

He was also in the [[UK Cabinet|Cabinet]] from 2006 to 2007 as the [[Chief Secretary to the Treasury]] from 2006 to 2007.<ref>[http://www2.labour.org.uk/faith Labour Party: Faith groups] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101174825/http://www2.labour.org.uk/faith |date=1 January 2011 }}. Retrieved 1 November 2010.</ref><ref name="dailymail2">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278459/Woman-charged-stabbing-Labour-MP-Stephen-Timms.html |title=Woman charged over stabbing of Labour MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Daily Mail |date= 16 May 2010|accessdate=12 November 2010 |location=London |first1=Michael |last1=Seamark |first2=Katherine |last2=Faulkner}}</ref> With a majority of 27,826 at the [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010 general election]], Timms had the largest vote share of any sitting MP, gaining 70.4% of the local vote.

At the [[United Kingdom general election, 2017|2017 general election]], Timms' majority increased to 40,000 votes, making his the safest seat in the UK, with 83.2% of the vote.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000679</ref>

He returned to the backbenches in September 2015, after being offered a junior [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] job by his party leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy-Bates |first=Sebastian |url=http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/home/stephen_timms_rejects_treasury_job_in_corbyn_s_labour_1_4235265 |title=Stephen Timms rejects treasury job in Corbyn’s Labour |work=Newhaw Recorder |date=16 September 2015 |accessdate=11 November 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==
Timms was born in [[Oldham]], [[Lancashire]], to Ronald James Timms, an engineer, and Margaret Joyce Timms, a teacher.<ref>[http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/eastham East Ham] UK Polling Report</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhMWAQAAIAAJ&q=%22stephen+timms%22+farnborough&dq=%22stephen+timms%22+farnborough |title=Dod's parliamentary companion guide ... |publisher= |date= |accessdate=12 November 2010}}</ref> He was educated at [[The Sixth Form College, Farnborough|Farnborough Grammar School]] in [[Farnborough, Hampshire]], and read mathematics at [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]] where he gained a degree in mathematics in 1977 and an [[Master of Philosophy|MPhil]] in operational research in 1978.<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/7726242/Stephen-Timms-MP-with-the-safest-seat-in-Commons.html |title=Stephen Timms: MP with the safest seat in Commons |publisher=Telegraph |date=14 May 2010 |accessdate=11 November 2010 |location=London}}</ref>

Before entering politics, Timms worked in the [[telecommunications]] industry for 15 years, first for [[Logica]] from 1978 to 1986, and then for [[Ovum Ltd.|Ovum]] from 1986 to 1994, where he worked as a manager responsible for producing reports on the future of telecommunications. He was elected as a councillor for the [[Little Ilford]] Ward on [[Newham London Borough Council]] in a [[by-election]] in 1984, and served as Leader of the Council from 1990 to 1994.<ref name="telegraph1"/>

==Member of Parliament==
The Labour MP for [[Newham North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham North East]], [[Ron Leighton]], died in February 1994. Timms was selected as the Labour candidate for [[Newham North East by-election, 1994|the resulting by-election in June 1994]]. He won the seat with 75% of the votes.

For the next election, his constituency was merged with part of [[Newham South (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham South]], and at the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|general election in May 1997]] Timms was elected MP for the resulting new constituency of [[East Ham (UK Parliament constituency)|East Ham]].<ref name="telegraph1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stephentimms.org.uk/about-stephen |title=About Stephen |publisher=Stephentimms.org.uk |date=9 June 1994 |accessdate=12 November 2010}}</ref>

===In government===
Timms served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to [[Andrew Smith (politician)|Andrew Smith]] from May 1997 to March 1998, and later to [[Mo Mowlam]] from March to July 1998.

In 1998, Timms was appointed [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the Department of Social Security, rising to Minister of State in that department the following year. He served as Minister of State for [[E-Commerce]] and Competitiveness, and Minister of State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services, at the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department of Trade and Industry]]; Minister of State for School Standards at the [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom)|Department for Education and Skills]]; Minister of State for Pensions at the [[Department for Work and Pensions]]; and served as [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]] from 1999 to 2001, September 2004 to May 2005, and October 2008 to May 2010.<ref name="telegraph1"/>

====Chief Secretary to the Treasury====
In May 2006, Timms was promoted to the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] as [[Chief Secretary to the Treasury]], the Chancellor's second-in-command with responsibility for department budget issues, a post in which he remained until 28 June 2007, when he was dropped from the cabinet by new [[Prime Minister]] [[Gordon Brown]].<ref name="telegraph1"/> It was later announced that he had been appointed [[Minister of State for Competitiveness]] at the newly created [[Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform]].

====Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform====
Following the government reshuffle on 24 January 2008—a result of the resignation of [[Peter Hain]]—Timms moved to the Department for Work and Pensions, and became Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/ministers/stimms.asp |title= Department for Work and Pensions – Stephen Timms official profile|accessdate=14 May 2010| work= |publisher= [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |archiveurl= http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080727005118/http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/ministers/stimms.asp/ |archivedate= 27 July 2008}}</ref>

====Financial Secretary to the Treasury====
[[Tony McNulty]] replaced Timms on 3 October 2008, who returned to his former role as Financial Secretary to the Treasury.<ref name="telegraph1"/>

In August 2009, Timms was given additional responsibility for [[Digital Britain]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8187884.stm Timms to lead 'Digital Britain'], BBC News, 6 August 2009</ref> In September 2009, he announced plans for a tax of £6 per year to be levied on each phone account in the UK. At the time, this was broadly characterised as a [[stealth tax]] in the UK media. In April 2010, Timms' department made an embarrassing slip when a letter purporting to be from him mistakenly identified [[IP address]] as "[[intellectual property]] address".<ref>[http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/995688/Minister-Digital-Britain-blunders-embarrassing-IP-slip-up/ Minister for Digital Britain blunders in embarrassing 'IP' slip-up], ''MediaWeek'', 9 April 2010</ref> According to the accountants' magazine ''[[Accountancy Age]]'', he was highly regarded by finance professionals despite such gaffes.<ref>[http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2263017/accountants-storm-treasury Accountants storm the Treasury] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517055008/http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2263017/accountants-storm-treasury |date=17 May 2010 }}, ''Accountancy Age'', 14 May 2010</ref>

===In opposition===
Timms was appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Employment after the election of [[Ed Miliband]] as party leader.

It was rumoured that Timms is one of three shadow ministers who threatened to resign from his front bench position if the Labour Party did not grant a [[free vote]] on the [[Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Owen |title=Labour's U-turn on equal marriage: why is equality for minority groups a matter of conscience? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/labours-uturn-on-equal-marriage-why-is-equality-for-minority-groups-a-matter-of-conscience-8405578.html |accessdate=29 March 2015 |website=Independent |date=11 June 2012 }}</ref> Timms later abstained on the bill.<ref name="Edwards 2013">{{cite web |last=Edwards |first=Peter |title=How will each Labour MP vote on Equal Marriage? |website=LabourList |date=5 February 2013 |url=http://labourlist.org/2013/02/how-will-each-labour-mp-vote-on-equal-marriage/ |accessdate=16 June 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Sparrow 2013">{{cite web |last=Sparrow |first=Andrew |title=MPs vote in favour of gay marriage: Politics live blog |website=the Guardian |date=6 February 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2013/feb/05/gay-marriage-debate-politics-live-blog |accessdate=16 June 2016}}</ref>

== Murder attempt ==
On 14 May 2010, Timms was approached by 21-year-old female [[Islamic extremism|Islamist extremist]] [[Roshonara Choudhry]], during a [[Surgery (politics)|constituency surgery]] at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way, [[Beckton]], East London.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article7127575.ece Woman charged with attempted murder of Labour MP], The Times, 15 May 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8683596.stm |title=Former minister Timms stabbed |date=14 May 2010 |publisher=BBC News|accessdate=14 May 2010}}</ref> Choudhry stabbed Timms twice in the abdomen with a 15&nbsp;cm (6-inch) kitchen knife, before being disarmed.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/woman-21-arrested-over-stabbing-of-labour-mp-1973948.html Woman, 21, arrested over stabbing of Labour MP], The Independent, 15 May 2010</ref><ref name="dailymail1">{{cite news|author=Tom Rawstorne |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327096/Roshonara-Choudhry-brainwashed-Al-Qaeda-stabbing-MP-Stephen-Timms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml |title=Roshonara Choudhry brainwashed by Al Qaeda into stabbing MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date= 6 November 2010 |accessdate=10 November 2010 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278948/Roshonara-Choudhary-accused-stabbing-MP-Stephen-Timms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml |title=Roshonara Choudhary accused of stabbing MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Daily Mail|date= 18 May 2010|accessdate=11 November 2010 |location=London}}</ref> She stated that she had been influenced by watching sermons of [[Anwar al-Awlaki]], a leader of [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]], and that her attack was to punish Timms for voting for the [[Iraq War]], and seek revenge for the Iraqi people.<ref name=youtube-withdraws>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/world/05britain.html YouTube Withdraws Cleric’s Videos], New York Times, 4 November 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.oneindia.in/2010/11/06/alqaeda-leaders-tour-of-britain-radicalised-ageneration.html |title=Al-Qaeda leader's tour of Britain 'radicalised a generation of young Muslims' |publisher=Oneindia News |date= |accessdate=8 November 2010}}</ref><ref>HEGGHAMMER, T., NESSER, P.. Assessing the Islamic State’s Commitment to Attacking the West. Perspectives on Terrorism, North America, 9, jul. 2015. Available at: <http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/440>. Date accessed: 7 June 2017.</ref>

He suffered "potentially life-threatening" wounds—lacerations to his [[liver]] and a perforation to his stomach. A police officer at the scene remarked that Timms "was extremely fortunate not to have been killed".<ref name=bbc3nov>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11682732|title=Woman jailed for life for attack on MP Stephen Timms|publisher=BBC News|date=3 November 2010|accessdate=4 November 2010}}</ref> Timms underwent emergency surgery at the [[Royal London Hospital]], from which he was discharged on 19 May.<ref name="dailymail1"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8692562.stm MP Stephen Timms discharged from London hospital], BBC News, 19 May 2010</ref>

On 2 November, Choudhry was found guilty of Timms' [[attempted murder]]. She was subsequently given a life sentence, with a recommendation that she serve a minimum jail term of 15 years.<ref name="bbc3nov"/> After the court case, Timms said he was not bitter, but that forgiveness was not an issue until his attacker showed remorse. He has since sought the banning of incendiary material on popular internet sites "to protect other vulnerable young people from going down the same road."<ref name=not-bitter>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/stephen-timms-i-dont-feel-bitter-but-im-not-ready-to-forgive-my-knife-attacker-6532423.html Stephen Timms: I don't feel bitter but I'm not ready to forgive my knife attacker], Evening Standard, 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.</ref> [[YouTube]] removed some videos of al-Awlaki within hours of the sentence.<ref name=youtube-withdraws/><ref name=not-bitter/>

==Personal life==
Timms is an [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Christian]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/dec/10/gay-marriage-tory-backlash Tory backlash against same-sex marriage], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 10 December 2012 (retrieved 10 December 2012)</ref> He has lived in the [[London Borough of Newham]] since 1979, and has been married to Hui-Leng Lim since 1986.<ref name=not-bitter/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons cat}}
* {{official website|http://www.stephentimms.org.uk}}
* [http://www.newhamlabour.co.uk/ Newham Labour Party]
* {{UK MP links | parliament = stephen-timms/163 | hansard = mr-stephen-timms | hansardcurr = 4291 | guardian = 5192/stephen-timms | publicwhip = Stephen_Timms | theywork = stephen_timms | record = Stephen-Timms/East-Ham/567 | bbc = 25278.stm | journalisted = stephen-timms }}

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{{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}}
|-
{{s-new|constituency}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Timms, Stephen}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:English Christian socialists]]
[[Category:English victims of crime]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People from Farnborough, Hampshire]]
[[Category:People from Oldham]]
[[Category:Stabbing survivors]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–97]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001–05]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2005–10]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2010–15]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2015–17]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2017–]]

Revision as of 15:31, 12 June 2018

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English

The Right Honourable
Stephen Timms
MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Acting
In office
8 June 2015 – 13 September 2015
Leader Harriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded by Rachel Reeves
Succeeded by Owen Smith
Shadow Minister for Employment
In office
8 October 2010 – 13 September 2015
Leader Ed Miliband
Harriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded by Mark Hoban
Succeeded by Emily Thornberry
Minister of State for Competitiveness
In office
12 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Position abolished
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office
5 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Jane Kennedy
Succeeded by Mark Hoban
In office
12 September 2004 – 6 May 2005
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Ruth Kelly
Succeeded by John Healey
In office
29 July 1999 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Barbara Roche
Succeeded by Paul Boateng
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Des Browne
Succeeded by Andy Burnham
Minister of State for Pensions
In office
6 May 2005 – 5 May 2006
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Malcolm Wicks
Succeeded by James Purnell
In office
23 December 1998 – 29 July 1999
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by John Denham
Succeeded by Jeff Rooker
Minister of State for Schools
In office
11 June 2001 – 24 October 2002
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Estelle Morris
Succeeded by David Miliband
Member of Parliament
for East Ham
Newham North East (1994–1997)
Assumed office
9 June 1994
Preceded by Ron Leighton
Majority 39,883 (70.4%)
Personal details
Born Stephen Creswell Timms
(1955-07-29) 29 July 1955 (age 68)
Oldham, England
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Hui-Leng Lim (1986–present)
Alma mater Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Website www.stephentimms.org.uk

Stephen Creswell Timms (born 29 July 1955) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Ham since 1997. He has sat in Parliament since retaining the earlier Newham North East seat for his party at a 1994 byelection. Timms served in the government for several periods as the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, from 1999 to 2001, 2004 to 2005, and 2008 to 2010.

He was also in the Cabinet from 2006 to 2007 as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2006 to 2007.[1][2] With a majority of 27,826 at the 2010 general election, Timms had the largest vote share of any sitting MP, gaining 70.4% of the local vote.

At the 2017 general election, Timms' majority increased to 40,000 votes, making his the safest seat in the UK, with 83.2% of the vote.[3]

He returned to the backbenches in September 2015, after being offered a junior Treasury job by his party leader Jeremy Corbyn.[4]

Early life

Timms was born in Oldham, Lancashire, to Ronald James Timms, an engineer, and Margaret Joyce Timms, a teacher.[5][6] He was educated at Farnborough Grammar School in Farnborough, Hampshire, and read mathematics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he gained a degree in mathematics in 1977 and an MPhil in operational research in 1978.[7]

Before entering politics, Timms worked in the telecommunications industry for 15 years, first for Logica from 1978 to 1986, and then for Ovum from 1986 to 1994, where he worked as a manager responsible for producing reports on the future of telecommunications. He was elected as a councillor for the Little Ilford Ward on Newham London Borough Council in a by-election in 1984, and served as Leader of the Council from 1990 to 1994.[7]

Member of Parliament

The Labour MP for Newham North East, Ron Leighton, died in February 1994. Timms was selected as the Labour candidate for the resulting by-election in June 1994. He won the seat with 75% of the votes.

For the next election, his constituency was merged with part of Newham South, and at the general election in May 1997 Timms was elected MP for the resulting new constituency of East Ham.[7][8]

In government

Timms served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Andrew Smith from May 1997 to March 1998, and later to Mo Mowlam from March to July 1998.

In 1998, Timms was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, rising to Minister of State in that department the following year. He served as Minister of State for E-Commerce and Competitiveness, and Minister of State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services, at the Department of Trade and Industry; Minister of State for School Standards at the Department for Education and Skills; Minister of State for Pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions; and served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1999 to 2001, September 2004 to May 2005, and October 2008 to May 2010.[7]

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

In May 2006, Timms was promoted to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Chancellor's second-in-command with responsibility for department budget issues, a post in which he remained until 28 June 2007, when he was dropped from the cabinet by new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.[7] It was later announced that he had been appointed Minister of State for Competitiveness at the newly created Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform

Following the government reshuffle on 24 January 2008—a result of the resignation of Peter Hain—Timms moved to the Department for Work and Pensions, and became Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform.[9]

Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Tony McNulty replaced Timms on 3 October 2008, who returned to his former role as Financial Secretary to the Treasury.[7]

In August 2009, Timms was given additional responsibility for Digital Britain.[10] In September 2009, he announced plans for a tax of £6 per year to be levied on each phone account in the UK. At the time, this was broadly characterised as a stealth tax in the UK media. In April 2010, Timms' department made an embarrassing slip when a letter purporting to be from him mistakenly identified IP address as "intellectual property address".[11] According to the accountants' magazine Accountancy Age, he was highly regarded by finance professionals despite such gaffes.[12]

In opposition

Timms was appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Employment after the election of Ed Miliband as party leader.

It was rumoured that Timms is one of three shadow ministers who threatened to resign from his front bench position if the Labour Party did not grant a free vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.[13] Timms later abstained on the bill.[14][15]

Murder attempt

On 14 May 2010, Timms was approached by 21-year-old female Islamist extremist Roshonara Choudhry, during a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way, Beckton, East London.[16][17] Choudhry stabbed Timms twice in the abdomen with a 15 cm (6-inch) kitchen knife, before being disarmed.[18][19][20] She stated that she had been influenced by watching sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and that her attack was to punish Timms for voting for the Iraq War, and seek revenge for the Iraqi people.[21][22][23]

He suffered "potentially life-threatening" wounds—lacerations to his liver and a perforation to his stomach. A police officer at the scene remarked that Timms "was extremely fortunate not to have been killed".[24] Timms underwent emergency surgery at the Royal London Hospital, from which he was discharged on 19 May.[19][25]

On 2 November, Choudhry was found guilty of Timms' attempted murder. She was subsequently given a life sentence, with a recommendation that she serve a minimum jail term of 15 years.[24] After the court case, Timms said he was not bitter, but that forgiveness was not an issue until his attacker showed remorse. He has since sought the banning of incendiary material on popular internet sites "to protect other vulnerable young people from going down the same road."[26] YouTube removed some videos of al-Awlaki within hours of the sentence.[21][26]

Personal life

Timms is an evangelical Christian.[27] He has lived in the London Borough of Newham since 1979, and has been married to Hui-Leng Lim since 1986.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Labour Party: Faith groups Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  2. ↑ Template:Cite news
  3. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000679
  4. ↑ Template:Cite news
  5. ↑ East Ham UK Polling Report
  6. ↑ Template:Cite book
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Template:Cite news
  8. ↑ "About Stephen". Stephentimms.org.uk. 9 June 1994. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  9. ↑ "Department for Work and Pensions – Stephen Timms official profile". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010. 
  10. ↑ Timms to lead 'Digital Britain', BBC News, 6 August 2009
  11. ↑ Minister for Digital Britain blunders in embarrassing 'IP' slip-up, MediaWeek, 9 April 2010
  12. ↑ Accountants storm the Treasury Template:Webarchive, Accountancy Age, 14 May 2010
  13. ↑ Template:Cite news
  14. ↑ Edwards, Peter (5 February 2013). "How will each Labour MP vote on Equal Marriage?". LabourList. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  15. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (6 February 2013). "MPs vote in favour of gay marriage: Politics live blog". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  16. ↑ Woman charged with attempted murder of Labour MP, The Times, 15 May 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  17. ↑ Template:Cite news
  18. ↑ Woman, 21, arrested over stabbing of Labour MP, The Independent, 15 May 2010
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Template:Cite news
  20. ↑ Template:Cite news
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 YouTube Withdraws Cleric’s Videos, New York Times, 4 November 2010
  22. ↑ "Al-Qaeda leader's tour of Britain 'radicalised a generation of young Muslims'". Oneindia News. Retrieved 8 November 2010. 
  23. ↑ HEGGHAMMER, T., NESSER, P.. Assessing the Islamic State’s Commitment to Attacking the West. Perspectives on Terrorism, North America, 9, jul. 2015. Available at: <http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/440>. Date accessed: 7 June 2017.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Template:Cite news
  25. ↑ MP Stephen Timms discharged from London hospital, BBC News, 19 May 2010
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Stephen Timms: I don't feel bitter but I'm not ready to forgive my knife attacker, Evening Standard, 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  27. ↑ Tory backlash against same-sex marriage, The Guardian, 10 December 2012 (retrieved 10 December 2012)

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