British Politician. He was Labour Member of the British Parliament for the Heywood and Middleton Constituency from May 1997 until his death. A persuasive and softly-spoken Scotsman, he was raised in Fife, and educated at Roman Catholic schools, later studying bacteriology and virology. He worked within the National Health Service as a microbiologist for 33 years, mainly at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester. In 1983 he was elected as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, becoming the Labour group leader in 1994, and became the leader of the council in 1996. He stepped down from both the National Health Service and the council at Rochdale on his election to the House of Commons in May 1997. He was elected for the safe Labour seat of Heywood and Middleton upon the retirement of former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. He held the seat comfortably with a majority of 17,542 and remained its MP for the rest of his life. In Parliament, he was well-respected on all sides of the House and served as a member of the European Scrutiny Select Committee from 1998 to 2014. Dobbin chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group and campaigned strongly for a change to British abortion law. A devout Roman Catholic, he was awarded and invested as a Knight of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great from Pope Benedict XVI and was also honoured by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George under the grandmastership of the Duke of Castro with the rank of Knight of Merit with Star. His commitment to his Christian faith was often evident in his parliamentary work and was matched by his dedication to his constituents, who returned him to Parliament at three subsequent general elections. His untimely and sudden death was ruled a result of "misadventure" after he attended an official dinner during a Council of Europe visit to Poland, where the participants drank a shot of spirits between each course. He died shortly afterward. His funeral was attended by senior figures in British politics, including Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party, and John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.
British Politician. He was Labour Member of the British Parliament for the Heywood and Middleton Constituency from May 1997 until his death. A persuasive and softly-spoken Scotsman, he was raised in Fife, and educated at Roman Catholic schools, later studying bacteriology and virology. He worked within the National Health Service as a microbiologist for 33 years, mainly at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester. In 1983 he was elected as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, becoming the Labour group leader in 1994, and became the leader of the council in 1996. He stepped down from both the National Health Service and the council at Rochdale on his election to the House of Commons in May 1997. He was elected for the safe Labour seat of Heywood and Middleton upon the retirement of former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. He held the seat comfortably with a majority of 17,542 and remained its MP for the rest of his life. In Parliament, he was well-respected on all sides of the House and served as a member of the European Scrutiny Select Committee from 1998 to 2014. Dobbin chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group and campaigned strongly for a change to British abortion law. A devout Roman Catholic, he was awarded and invested as a Knight of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great from Pope Benedict XVI and was also honoured by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George under the grandmastership of the Duke of Castro with the rank of Knight of Merit with Star. His commitment to his Christian faith was often evident in his parliamentary work and was matched by his dedication to his constituents, who returned him to Parliament at three subsequent general elections. His untimely and sudden death was ruled a result of "misadventure" after he attended an official dinner during a Council of Europe visit to Poland, where the participants drank a shot of spirits between each course. He died shortly afterward. His funeral was attended by senior figures in British politics, including Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party, and John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.
Bio by: Turnpike
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