Paul Marsden
Encyclopedia
Paul William Barry Marsden (born 18 March 1968) is a British
writer, businessman and former politician. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Shrewsbury and Atcham
from 1997 until 2005. He was most prominently known for his anti-war views, crossing the floor twice from Labour to the Liberal Democrats in 2001 and returning to Labour in 2005 (the first since Winston Churchill
) and for asking the final question of the 20th Century to the Prime Minister in PMQs. Marsden is currently an International Business Consultant working on projects in Brussels and Amsterdam. He has instructed a solicitor to begin action for phone hacking that allegedly took place back in 2003 by a newspaper.
in Cheshire
to Thomas Darlington Marsden, a Distribution Manager and Labour Councillor and Audrey Stott, a school teacher and he was educated at Helsby High School
. Marsden completed a Diploma in Building Studies at Mid-Cheshire College
in 1986, but withdrew from completing a civil engineering degree after the first three years at Teesside Polytechnic
in 1990. Studying part time, he passed a Diploma in Management at the Open University
and a Diploma in Business Excellence at Newcastle College
.
Prior to his political career, he worked as a Quality Manager at Taylor Woodrow
between 1990–94, Management Consultant at NatWest Bank 1994-96 and as a Total Quality Facilitator at Mitel
from 1996 until the general election in 1997.
for Shrewsbury and Atcham
with a swing of 11.4%; a seat which he held at the 2001 election
with a further swing of 5.5%. He spoke in the Commons for the first time on 21 May and in an otherwise traditional maiden speech, joked prophetically about refusing to be intimidated by the whips. He was nominated to serve on the Agriculture Select Committee and remained for four years quietly serving on the committee.
On 14 April 1999, Marsden introduced the Cancer Care Bill with backing from cancer charities including Macmillan Cancer Support
, under the Ten Minute Rule that would create the first comprehensive directory of cancer services in the UK to aid patients in identifying the location and type of cancer care available. The Bill prompted Ruth Fermor Allan to create such a directory called 'Cancer Care 2000', which was published by Cambridge Healthcare Publishing Ltd in November 2000.
Marsden asked the last question to the Prime Minister of the 20th Century at PMQs on 15 December 1999 about the Northern Ireland peace process.
In March 2001, Marsden with cross party support put forward a Doorstep Recycling Bill, mandating the collection of recyclable materials from streets. The Bill was backed by Friends of the Earth
. The Bill did not succeed that year but the Government eventually backed a similar Bill by Joan Ruddock
and the Municipal Waste Recycling Bill was passed in October 2003, increasing the levels of recycling of residential waste.
After a first term, loyally supporting the Government, Marsden began to question the Labour Government's foreign policy following 9/11. On 8 October 2001, he was the first MP in the Commons to publicly call for a vote on any military action in Afghanistan. Marsden took to sitting in Tony Benn
's former Commons seat below the gangway on the second row from the back. Two weeks later, Marsden was instructed to attend a meeting with the Labour Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong
. As Jeremy Paxman
wrote, "the Labour MP Paul Marsden took the unprecedented step of recording the dressing-down", where he said that he had been confronted with accusations that "those aren't with us are against us," "war is not a matter of conscience" and "it was people like you who appeased Hitler in 1938", infuriating Marsden to going public.
Tony Benn
described in his diary that "The pressure on the anti-war MPs is growing. Apparently Paul Marsden, the Labour MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, had three-quarters-of-an-hour being bullied by the Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong."
Number 10 were forced to put out a statement that dissenting backbenchers would be allowed to speak out on the war. The Guardian in its Leader praised Marsden for having called for a vote on the war and publishing the Chief Whip's response to it and stated, "On both counts he has done British democracy a service."
Undeterred by the Whips criticism, Marsden then spoke out against the press officer Jo Moore
who had said, that 9/11 was "a very good day to get out anything we want to bury"; he and Tam Dalyell
were the only two Labour MPs to vote against the Government.
In November 2001, Marsden visited Pakistan
and the Afghan border to highlight the plight of Afghan refugees living in camps who had fled the war. Marsden also negotiated the release of Sunday Telegraph
journalist Christina Lamb
and photographer Justin Sutcliffe, who had been arrested and held by the Pakistan Police and Inter-Services Intelligence
secret service. Christina Lamb
thanked Marsden in the acknowledgements of her biographical book, The Sewing Circles of Herat, "Paul Marsden MP for Shrewsbury, helped rescue us from the ISI, being manhandled by Baluchistan police in the process, and kindly rearranged his whole schedule to stay in Pakistan until we were safely out."
On 18 November 2001, Marsden was one of the leaders of the Stop the War demonstration against the war in Afghanistan in London. Marsden was one of the principle speakers along with Tony Benn
and George Galloway
in Trafalgar Square with 100,000 protesters.
Marsden complained bitterly that he had been subjected to late night physical attacks by some Labour Whips, which were vigorously denied. Five days later, he defected
to the Liberal Democrats on 10 December 2001, citing his disagreements with Labour whips over his opposition to military action in Afghanistan
and the resulting civilian casualties. By crossing the floor of the House of Commons, his actions contributed to a parliamentary vote being granted before the 2003 Iraq war. The Big Issue magazine's readers voted Marsden 'Hero of the Year' in 2001 for his opposition to the war in Afghanistan.
, in charge of a portfolio covering mental health, prison health and aspects of cancer care.
In June 2002, Marsden presented the Prescriptions (Chronic Diseases) Bill, which aimed to introduce a fairer system for issuing prescriptions' exemptions for patients with acute conditions. Although the Bill, received cross party support it ran out of parliamentary time before the summer recess. The Bill received backing from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
and the National Asthma Campaign.
In August 2002 he visited Malawi
to turn the media spotlight on the southern African famine and later he travelled to Johannesburg
to lobby the United Nations
conference discussing the famine affecting Southern Africa. His accusations that the failures of the International Monetary Fund
had exacerbated the famine, caused a public argument with the IMF Director.
In February 2003, prior to the war in Iraq, he visited the USA
to give a speaking tour and laid a Union flag and wreath in commemoration of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
at Ground Zero. He also attended the United Nations
Security Council session considering the looming war on 14 February. On the second anniversary of 9/11, he visited the Slobodan Milosevic
trial in The Hague and met with prosecution lawyers at the International Criminal Court
.
Marsden was declared the leading rebel on all parliamentary votes by The Times in 2003.
In October 2003, Marsden was appointed the number two behind John Thurso as Shadow Transport Minister for the Liberal Democrats and nominated as a member of the Transport Select Committee.
out of forty two that have taken part since it began in 1981, with a time of 3 hours 18 minutes 1 second.
In July 2004 Marsden announced that he was retiring from politics and would not contest the May 2005 general election
. He cited the toll suffered as a result of admissions about his private life and the effects on his family. He reduced his Liberal Democrat political duties and on 5 April 2005, within hours of the start of the election campaign, Marsden announced his intention to rejoin the Labour Party, stating that although he still disagreed with the government over the war and levels of investment in public services, he did not want to see Labour MPs who shared his views, to lose their seats. He later apologised to Liberal Democrat supporters for leaving the party. He was the first British politician since Winston Churchill
to re-cross the floor of the House of Commons and return to sit on the Labour benches.
During his Parliamentary career Marsden raised over £10K for local and international charities through sponsored marathon running
, abseiling
and swimming
.
In the 2005 general election
the Conservative, Daniel Kawczynski
won back the Shrewsbury and Atcham seat from the subsequent Labour candidate, Michael Ion.
and returned to business consultancy in 2005. He also wrote more anti-war poetry.
In December 2005, Marsden caused a row when he publicly confirmed Charles Kennedy
's drinking problems and that Kennedy had not been telling the truth about his illness. Kennedy's press secretary vehemently denied Marsden's story. However by 5 January 2006, Kennedy admitted he had "a drink problem" and had sought "professional help". He resigned two days later as leader.
In 2007, Marsden was appointed Director of Policy at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
and between 2008 and 2010 was the CEO of the Painting and Decorating Association.
In May 2009, Marsden applied to rejoin the Labour Party but was provisionally blocked by the National Executive and is not presently a member of any political party.
In September 2010, Marsden's war poem, 'Eighty at Ligny' was used in l'exposition historique for the British WWI war cemetery in memory of the eighty British, Irish and Canadian soldiers who are buried in Ligny-sur-Canche
. In 2010, Marsden returned to business consultancy, working as a consultant for a trade conference.
In January 2011, it was reported that Marsden had commenced legal enquiries into allegations of hacking into his phone back in 2003. A suspended reporter who worked at the Sunday Mirror
and then the News of the World
was claimed to be involved. A Channel 4 Dispatches programme interviewed Marsden and it was revealed that the reporter in question, had been suspended for phone hacking, although he denied it. It was the first time that a newspaper other than the News of the World
had been cited in connection with allegations of phone hacking.
In May 2011, Marsden wrote on his Blog, www.paulwbmarsden.blogspot.com, an article about the debate on public interest vs privacy in which he mentioned the allegations that Ryan Giggs
was the footballer who had taken out a super injunction against Imogen Thomas
. His Blog was written before John Hemming (politician)
revealed the Manchester United
player's name under parliamentary privilege.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer, businessman and former politician. He was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury and Atcham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
from 1997 until 2005. He was most prominently known for his anti-war views, crossing the floor twice from Labour to the Liberal Democrats in 2001 and returning to Labour in 2005 (the first since Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
) and for asking the final question of the 20th Century to the Prime Minister in PMQs. Marsden is currently an International Business Consultant working on projects in Brussels and Amsterdam. He has instructed a solicitor to begin action for phone hacking that allegedly took place back in 2003 by a newspaper.
Early life
He was born at 40 Queensway, FrodshamFrodsham
Frodsham is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population is 8,982. It is approximately south of Runcorn, 16 miles south of Liverpool, and approximately south-west of Manchester...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
to Thomas Darlington Marsden, a Distribution Manager and Labour Councillor and Audrey Stott, a school teacher and he was educated at Helsby High School
Helsby High School
Helsby High School is a State-maintained Secondary School on Chester Road in Helsby, north-west Cheshire, UK, for pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school performs to a very high standard, with well above-average attainment at both GCSE and A-level. Its A-level results are in the top ten percent...
. Marsden completed a Diploma in Building Studies at Mid-Cheshire College
Mid Cheshire College
Mid Cheshire College is a further education college. Its main campus is in the village of Hartford, Cheshire. John Reilly is the college principal. He joined the college in 2002 after leaving the Tameside College in East Manchester where he was Director of Development...
in 1986, but withdrew from completing a civil engineering degree after the first three years at Teesside Polytechnic
University of Teesside
Teesside University is a university in Middlesbrough, England. It has a student body of 29,285 students as of the 2009/10 academic year. It recorded rises in applications of 25.1 per cent and 23.5 per cent for degree courses beginning in 2010, the highest such percentage increases of the five...
in 1990. Studying part time, he passed a Diploma in Management at the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
and a Diploma in Business Excellence at Newcastle College
Newcastle College
Newcastle College is a Further Education and Higher Education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the largest mixed economy College in the country and claims to offer more courses in more subjects than any of its geographical competitors....
.
Prior to his political career, he worked as a Quality Manager at Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow was one of the largest British housebuilding and general construction companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with rival George Wimpey to create Taylor Wimpey on 3 July 2007.-Early years:Frank Taylor was...
between 1990–94, Management Consultant at NatWest Bank 1994-96 and as a Total Quality Facilitator at Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
from 1996 until the general election in 1997.
Labour Member of Parliament
Marsden was elected as the first (and only) Labour MP at the 1997 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
for Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury and Atcham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
with a swing of 11.4%; a seat which he held at the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
with a further swing of 5.5%. He spoke in the Commons for the first time on 21 May and in an otherwise traditional maiden speech, joked prophetically about refusing to be intimidated by the whips. He was nominated to serve on the Agriculture Select Committee and remained for four years quietly serving on the committee.
On 14 April 1999, Marsden introduced the Cancer Care Bill with backing from cancer charities including Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....
, under the Ten Minute Rule that would create the first comprehensive directory of cancer services in the UK to aid patients in identifying the location and type of cancer care available. The Bill prompted Ruth Fermor Allan to create such a directory called 'Cancer Care 2000', which was published by Cambridge Healthcare Publishing Ltd in November 2000.
Marsden asked the last question to the Prime Minister of the 20th Century at PMQs on 15 December 1999 about the Northern Ireland peace process.
In March 2001, Marsden with cross party support put forward a Doorstep Recycling Bill, mandating the collection of recyclable materials from streets. The Bill was backed by Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
. The Bill did not succeed that year but the Government eventually backed a similar Bill by Joan Ruddock
Joan Ruddock
Joan Mary Ruddock is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford since 1987. She is a feminist and is the wife of Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North...
and the Municipal Waste Recycling Bill was passed in October 2003, increasing the levels of recycling of residential waste.
After a first term, loyally supporting the Government, Marsden began to question the Labour Government's foreign policy following 9/11. On 8 October 2001, he was the first MP in the Commons to publicly call for a vote on any military action in Afghanistan. Marsden took to sitting in Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
's former Commons seat below the gangway on the second row from the back. Two weeks later, Marsden was instructed to attend a meeting with the Labour Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Jane Armstrong, Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North West Durham from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
. As Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
wrote, "the Labour MP Paul Marsden took the unprecedented step of recording the dressing-down", where he said that he had been confronted with accusations that "those aren't with us are against us," "war is not a matter of conscience" and "it was people like you who appeased Hitler in 1938", infuriating Marsden to going public.
Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
described in his diary that "The pressure on the anti-war MPs is growing. Apparently Paul Marsden, the Labour MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, had three-quarters-of-an-hour being bullied by the Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong."
Number 10 were forced to put out a statement that dissenting backbenchers would be allowed to speak out on the war. The Guardian in its Leader praised Marsden for having called for a vote on the war and publishing the Chief Whip's response to it and stated, "On both counts he has done British democracy a service."
Undeterred by the Whips criticism, Marsden then spoke out against the press officer Jo Moore
Jo Moore
Jo Moore served as a British special adviser and press officer . She was embroiled in scandal while working as advisor to Stephen Byers, the Transport, Local Government and Regions Secretary....
who had said, that 9/11 was "a very good day to get out anything we want to bury"; he and Tam Dalyell
Tam Dalyell
Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell, is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow.-Early life:...
were the only two Labour MPs to vote against the Government.
In November 2001, Marsden visited Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and the Afghan border to highlight the plight of Afghan refugees living in camps who had fled the war. Marsden also negotiated the release of Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
journalist Christina Lamb
Christina Lamb
Christina Lamb is a British journalist who is currently Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times. She was educated at University College, Oxford and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society...
and photographer Justin Sutcliffe, who had been arrested and held by the Pakistan Police and Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
secret service. Christina Lamb
Christina Lamb
Christina Lamb is a British journalist who is currently Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times. She was educated at University College, Oxford and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society...
thanked Marsden in the acknowledgements of her biographical book, The Sewing Circles of Herat, "Paul Marsden MP for Shrewsbury, helped rescue us from the ISI, being manhandled by Baluchistan police in the process, and kindly rearranged his whole schedule to stay in Pakistan until we were safely out."
On 18 November 2001, Marsden was one of the leaders of the Stop the War demonstration against the war in Afghanistan in London. Marsden was one of the principle speakers along with Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
and George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
in Trafalgar Square with 100,000 protesters.
Marsden complained bitterly that he had been subjected to late night physical attacks by some Labour Whips, which were vigorously denied. Five days later, he defected
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
to the Liberal Democrats on 10 December 2001, citing his disagreements with Labour whips over his opposition to military action in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the resulting civilian casualties. By crossing the floor of the House of Commons, his actions contributed to a parliamentary vote being granted before the 2003 Iraq war. The Big Issue magazine's readers voted Marsden 'Hero of the Year' in 2001 for his opposition to the war in Afghanistan.
Liberal Democrat MP and Shadow Minister
In May 2002, Marsden was promoted to Shadow Health Minister for the Liberal Democrats reporting to Evan HarrisEvan Harris
Evan Leslie Harris is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservative Nicola Blackwood....
, in charge of a portfolio covering mental health, prison health and aspects of cancer care.
In June 2002, Marsden presented the Prescriptions (Chronic Diseases) Bill, which aimed to introduce a fairer system for issuing prescriptions' exemptions for patients with acute conditions. Although the Bill, received cross party support it ran out of parliamentary time before the summer recess. The Bill received backing from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, founded in 1964, is the United Kingdom’s only national charity dedicated to all aspects of cystic fibrosis . It funds research to treat and cure CF and aims to ensure appropriate clinical care and support for people with cystic fibrosis.-Objectives:Its objectives are:*To...
and the National Asthma Campaign.
In August 2002 he visited Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
to turn the media spotlight on the southern African famine and later he travelled to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to lobby the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
conference discussing the famine affecting Southern Africa. His accusations that the failures of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
had exacerbated the famine, caused a public argument with the IMF Director.
In February 2003, prior to the war in Iraq, he visited the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to give a speaking tour and laid a Union flag and wreath in commemoration of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
at Ground Zero. He also attended the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council session considering the looming war on 14 February. On the second anniversary of 9/11, he visited the Slobodan Milosevic
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
trial in The Hague and met with prosecution lawyers at the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
.
Marsden was declared the leading rebel on all parliamentary votes by The Times in 2003.
In October 2003, Marsden was appointed the number two behind John Thurso as Shadow Transport Minister for the Liberal Democrats and nominated as a member of the Transport Select Committee.
Announces retirement as MP and rejoins Labour
In April 2004, Marsden set the fifth fastest time for MPs completing the London MarathonLondon Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
out of forty two that have taken part since it began in 1981, with a time of 3 hours 18 minutes 1 second.
In July 2004 Marsden announced that he was retiring from politics and would not contest the May 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. He cited the toll suffered as a result of admissions about his private life and the effects on his family. He reduced his Liberal Democrat political duties and on 5 April 2005, within hours of the start of the election campaign, Marsden announced his intention to rejoin the Labour Party, stating that although he still disagreed with the government over the war and levels of investment in public services, he did not want to see Labour MPs who shared his views, to lose their seats. He later apologised to Liberal Democrat supporters for leaving the party. He was the first British politician since Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
to re-cross the floor of the House of Commons and return to sit on the Labour benches.
During his Parliamentary career Marsden raised over £10K for local and international charities through sponsored marathon running
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, abseiling
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
.
In the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
the Conservative, Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Robert Kawczynski is the Conservative Party Member for Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, England.-Biography:...
won back the Shrewsbury and Atcham seat from the subsequent Labour candidate, Michael Ion.
Expenses
Although MPs expenses were published after Marsden had left parliament, expenses claims were backdated to the time when he was a sitting MP. Sir Thomas Legg gave Marsden a clean bill of health and reported that he was one of only a minority of MPs and ex-MPs with "no issues".Post-Parliamentary career
Before retiring from politics, Marsden co-authored the book 'Voices for Peace' published by Simon and Schuster in 2001. Four years later he researched and published a local history book, The Blackfriars of ShrewsburyThe Blackfriars of Shrewsbury
The Black Friars of Shrewsbury is a short historical book by Paul Marsden, the former Shrewsbury MP, about the Dominican friars who arrived in Shrewsbury, England, in 1230 and built a church, cloisters, Lady Chapel and series of outbuildings.-Book content:...
and returned to business consultancy in 2005. He also wrote more anti-war poetry.
In December 2005, Marsden caused a row when he publicly confirmed Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
's drinking problems and that Kennedy had not been telling the truth about his illness. Kennedy's press secretary vehemently denied Marsden's story. However by 5 January 2006, Kennedy admitted he had "a drink problem" and had sought "professional help". He resigned two days later as leader.
In 2007, Marsden was appointed Director of Policy at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection is a British animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments...
and between 2008 and 2010 was the CEO of the Painting and Decorating Association.
In May 2009, Marsden applied to rejoin the Labour Party but was provisionally blocked by the National Executive and is not presently a member of any political party.
In September 2010, Marsden's war poem, 'Eighty at Ligny' was used in l'exposition historique for the British WWI war cemetery in memory of the eighty British, Irish and Canadian soldiers who are buried in Ligny-sur-Canche
Ligny-sur-Canche
Ligny-Sur-Canche is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Ligny-sur-Canche is situated west of Arras, at the junction of the D11 and the D941 roads, in the valley of the river Canche.-Population:...
. In 2010, Marsden returned to business consultancy, working as a consultant for a trade conference.
In January 2011, it was reported that Marsden had commenced legal enquiries into allegations of hacking into his phone back in 2003. A suspended reporter who worked at the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
and then the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
was claimed to be involved. A Channel 4 Dispatches programme interviewed Marsden and it was revealed that the reporter in question, had been suspended for phone hacking, although he denied it. It was the first time that a newspaper other than the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
had been cited in connection with allegations of phone hacking.
In May 2011, Marsden wrote on his Blog, www.paulwbmarsden.blogspot.com, an article about the debate on public interest vs privacy in which he mentioned the allegations that Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
was the footballer who had taken out a super injunction against Imogen Thomas
Imogen Thomas
Imogen Mary Thomas is a Welsh glamour model, beauty queen and television personality. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning Miss Wales, and achieved further note in 2006, when she lasted three months on the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.-Early life:Imogen was born to Charles...
. His Blog was written before John Hemming (politician)
John Hemming (politician)
John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
revealed the Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
player's name under parliamentary privilege.