Mike O'Brien

Meantime in Parliament, Mike was appointed as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, he worked closely with the Shadow Home Secretary, Tony Blair on proposals to tackle anti social behaviour.

In 1993 the Police Federation asked him to be their Parliamentary Adviser - the first Labour adviser in twenty years. "I have strongly supported more police. In Warwickshire the then Conservative Home Secretary cut Warwickshire Police by 11%, the biggest cut in Britain. I later worked with the Labour Government to put more money into policing, which was done and today Warwickshire Police numbers are back up. But we still need more uniforms on the beat." Mike gave up the role of Federation advisor when Tony Blair appointed him to the Front Bench Treasury team.

Mike O'Brien also served on the Treasury Select Committee and later as a frontbench shadow Minister on the City from 1996-1997 and was appointed as a Minister at the Home Office after the General Election in May 1997.

He worked as a Minister on the Crime and Disorder Act, the Immigration and Asylum Act, the Human Rights Act, the Representation of the People Act 1999, the Political Parties and Referendum Bill and the Race Relations Amendment Bill. He also dealt with race equality, constitutional reform, animal issues (including fox hunting), gambling and alcohol licensing reform and the Fire Service.

Mike meeting Yasser Arafat

In 2002 he became a Foreign Office Minister, dealing with the Middle East, holding a historic meeting with the Libyan leader, Qadaffi, which led to him to open new relations with the West and to divest himself of his nuclear weapons programme. As a Minister he also dealt with the Iraq War, Afghanistan (see picture), the Peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and relations between India and Pakistan.

Mike meeting Gurkhas in as Foreign Office Minister

He became UK Trade Minister working to develop new trade talks, which would create new jobs in the UK and the developing world. He also did regular events with the business community to promote foreign trade (see picture of Mike with Al Gore, the former US Vice President at a British American Trade Event held at Statfold Hall in Northamptonshire).

Mike later served as Minister of State for Energy from 2004 to 2005 promoting alternative energy sources and emphasising the need to support micro-generation. He also signed the important gas treaty with Norway, which will provide a fifth of Britain's gas in the coming decades as North Sea Gas depletes.

Mike meeting Al Gore at Statfold Hall

In May 2005 he was appointed the Solicitor General. He advised the Government on matters of law, helped the Attorney General to supervise the prosecutions service, challenged unduly lenient sentences and worked on reforms on the law on rape and tackling criminal offenders. (See picture of Mike on the day he prosecuted criminals in Leicester Magistrates Court).

Mike as the Solicitor General attending

In June 2007 he was appointed by the Prime Minister as Minister for Pensions Reform in the Department for Work and Pensions. Whilst there he took through parliament a major reform of pensions law in the Pensions Act 2008. The Act requires employers to provide millions currently employed without an occupational pension scheme with a pension.

He also helped to resolve the long dispute involving 140,000 people that lost their pensions when their companies collapsed between 1997 and 2004. He also successfully campaigned for an increase in the Winter Fuel Payment to people over 60 and the disabled. The Government announced an increase from £200 to £250 for people over 60 and £400 for people over 80. Mike also worked to get insulation into pensioners' homes to reducetheir energy bills and in September 2008 the Prime Minister announced a £1Billion of help for pensioners and others. The poorest will get free insulation for their homes, others will get insulation at half price.

Mike continued his interest in energy when he became Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change in the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change on 3rd October 2008. He now has responsibility for oil, gas, coal, CHP, nuclear and a range of energy generation as well as for tackling Climate Change through Carbon Budget.

Mike also helped forge the link with the Emirate of Qatar in the Middle East which provides liquified Natural Gas to the UK and can help provide up to a fifth of the UK`s gas needs.  He helped launch the project with the Emir and the Duke of York in April 2009. This means that with the links to both Norway agreed in 2004 and with Qatar in 2009 the UK`s energy security is better protected.  

He is a member of the Appeals Committee of the Police Dependents' Trust, a charity that assists the families of police officers who have died on duty.  It was set up in 1966 after Harry Roberts shot and killed three Police Officers in Shepards Bush in London.

 He has a home in Bedworth Heath in the constituency, but lives in London when Parliament is sitting or he is at his Ministerial Department.