David Miliband to visit University

David Miliband MP is to visit Wolverhampton to take part in a Q&A with staff and students as part of a universities tour.

The former Foreign Secretary will visit the University of Wolverhampton on Wednesday, 25 January 2012.

The Q&A, which is being organised with the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications (LSSC), will take place at the Wolverhampton City Campus at 2pm.

Mr Miliband is currently on a tour of British universities, hosting open Q&As with students and staff.

Professor Judith Burnett, Dean of LSSC, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming David Miliband to the University. As an experienced politician and having served in a number of prominent positions within the last Government, his insights will be interesting and useful to our students. I’m sure there will be a lively discussion.”

Professor Burnett will open the event, which will include a discussion between David Miliband and Reader in Labour History Dr Keith Gildart, chaired by Associate Dean Dr Andy Cooper. There will then be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

David Miliband was elected to Parliament in 2001 as MP for South Shields.

He spent a year as a backbench MP and in June 2002 was appointed Schools Minister where he was behind ‘Building Schools for the Future’ - a programme to rebuild and refurbish every secondary school in the country, and he helped introduce thousands of new teaching assistants to the classroom.

In December 2004 he was appointed Cabinet Office Minister.

In May 2005 David became Minister of State for Communities and Local Government where he created the idea of city regions.

In May 2006 David became Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where he spearheaded the Climate Change Bill – setting the world’s first legally binding framework for cutting emissions.

In June 2007 David became Foreign Secretary, the youngest for 30 years. David stood up for human rights in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Middle East and spoke out against the invasion of Lebanon by Israel.

After Labour lost the 2010 General Election and Gordon Brown resigned David stood as a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party.

In October 2010 David stood down from front-line politics and pledged to continue to serve his constituents in South Shields as an MP.

ENDS

Picture: David Miliband MP