Frank Field (UK politician)

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Frank Ernest Field (born July 16, 1942) is a British politician and author. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for Birkenhead.

Born in London with a violent father, he was educated at St Clement Danes School in Hammersmith before studying at the University of Hull where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. He was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hounslow for four years from 1964 and in the same year became a further education teacher in Southwark and Hammersmith until he became the Director of the Child Poverty Action Group 1969-79, and of the Low Pay Unit 1974-1980.

Field unsuccessfully contested Buckinghamshire South at the 1966 General Election where he was defeated soundly by the sitting Conservative veteran MP Ronald Bell. He was selected to contest the safe seat at Birkenhead at the 1979 General Election on the retirement of the sitting Labour MP Edmund Dell. Field held the seat safely with a majority of 5,909 and has remained the constituency MP since then.

In Parliament Field was made a member of the Opposition frontbench by Michael Foot as a spokesman on education in 1980 but was dropped a year later. Following the appointment of Neil Kinnock as the Leader of the Opposition in 1983 he was appointed as a spokesman on health and social security for a year. He was appointed the chairman of the social services select committee in 1987, becoming the chairman of the new social security select committee in 1990, a position he held until the 1997 election.

Following the 1997 election, with Labour in power, Field joined the government of Tony Blair as the Minister of Welfare Reform at the Department of Social Security with the rank of Minister of State. Widely regarded as one of the most intelligent Labour MPs as evidenced by his performances at select committees and a solid performer in the media during the 1980s and 1990s he was given the task of 'thinking the unthinkable' in terms of social security reform.^{[citation needed]}

There were clashes with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and the Secretary of State for Social Security, Harriet Harman. He resigned his ministerial position in 1998 rather than accept a move from the Department of Social Security offered by Tony Blair in a reshuffle. It was reported that Mr Field argued for Tony Blair to promote him to Secretary of State for Social Security.^{[citation needed]}

After holding office he was a member of the Ecclesiastical and public accounts committees, although since the 2005 General Election he has remained solely on the backbenches. He is now a vocal critic of the government from the backbenches, notably voting against Foundation Hospitals in November 2003. He is a member of the advisory board of the think tank Reform.

Frank Field became a member of the Privy Council in 1997. He is single, a practising Christian, chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, and member of the General Synod.

[edit] Publications

Twentieth Century State Education: Readings for General Studies by Frank Field and Patricia Haikin, 1971, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-913006-X
Black Britons: Readings for General Studies by Frank Field and Patricia Haikin, 1971, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-913007-8
One Nation: The Conservatives Record since 1970 by Frank Field, 1972, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN B0000E9CMI
Abuse and the Abused by Frank Field, 1972, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-9500051-3-4
Low Pay by Frank Field, 1973, Arrow Books, ISBN 0-09-908240-3
Incomes Policy for Families by Frank Field, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-07-8
Unequal Britain by Frank Field, 1974, Arrow Books, ISBN 0-09-909820-2
Housing and Poverty by Frank Field, 1974, Catholic Housing Aid Society, ISBN 0-903113-07-4
Poor Families and Inflation by Michael Brown and Frank Field, 1974, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-12-4
The Stigma of Free School Meals: Welfare in Action by Frank Field, 1974, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-23-X
Low Wages Councils by Frank Field and Steve Winyard, 1975, Spokesman Books, ISBN 0-85124-118-2
Social Contract for Families: Memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by Frank Field and Peter Townsend, 1975, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-21-3
Unemployment: The Facts by Frank Field, 1975, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-22-1
Poverty: The Facts by Frank Field, 1975, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-24-8
Back to the Thirties for the Poor?: A Report on the Living Standards of the Poor in 1975 by Frank Field, 1975, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-27-2
Education and the Urban Crisis Edited by Frank Field, 1976, Routlegde, ISBN 0-7100-8536-2
To Him who Hath by Frank Field, 1976, Penguin Books Ltd, ISBN 0-14-021976-5
The new Corporate Interest by Frank Field, 1976, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-28-0
Conscript Army: Study of Britain's Unemployed by Frank Field, 1977, Routlegde, ISBN 0-7100-8779-9
Are Low Wages Inevitable? by Frank Field, 1977, Spokesman Books, ISBN 0-85124-165-4
Wasted Labour: Call for Action on Unemployment by Frank Field, 1978, Child Poverty Action Group, ISBN 0-903963-58-2
Rising Tide of Poverty: A Challenge for Political Parties by Frank Field, 1978, Low Pay Unit, ISBN B0000EDRIP
The Wealth Report by Frank Field, 1979, Routledge, ISBN 0-7100-0164-9
Fair Shares for Families: Need for a Family Impact Statement by Frank Field, 1980, Study Commission on the Family, ISBN 0-907051-02-2
Inequality in Britain: Freedom, Welfare and the State by Frank Field, 1981, Fontana, ISBN 0-00-635759-8
Poverty and Politics by Frank Field, 1982, Heinemann Education, ISBN 0-435-82306-X
The Wealth Report 2 by Frank Field, 1983, Routledge, ISBN 0-7100-9452-3
Policies Against Low Pay by Frank Field, 1984, Policy Studies Institute
The Minimum Wage by Frank Field, 1984, Ashgate, ISBN 0-435-83300-6
What Price a Child?: A Historical Review of the Relative Costs of Dependants by Frank Field, 1985, Policy Studies Institute, ISBN 0-85374-251-0
Freedom and Wealth in a Socialist Future by Frank Field, 1987, Constable, ISBN 0-09-467380-2
The Politics of Paradise: A Christian Approach to the Kingdom by Frank Field, 1987, Fount, ISBN 0-00-627114-6
Losing Out: Emergence of Britain's Underclass by Frank Field, 1989, Blackwell Publishers, ISBN 0-631-17149-5
An Agenda for Britain by Frank Field, 1993, Harper Collins, ISBN 0-00-638226-6
Making Sense of Pensions by Matthew Owen and Frank Field, 1993, Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-0557-7
Private Pensions for All by Frank Field and Matthew Owen, 1993, Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-3016-4
Europe Isn't Working by Frank Field, 1994, Institute of Community Studies, ISBN 0-9523355-0-6
Beyond Punishment by Frank Field and Matthew Owen, 1994, Institute of Community Studies
National Pensions Savings Plan by Frank Field and Matthew Owen, 1994, Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-4018-6
Making Welfare Work: Reconstructing Welfare for the Millennium by Frank Field, 1995, Institute of Community Studies, ISBN 0-9523355-2-2
The Measurement of Poverty and Low Income at the Millennium by Frank Field, 1995, Manchester Statistical Society, ISBN 0-85336-130-4
Who Gets What, How and for How Long? by Frank Field and Paul Gregg, Fabian Society, ISBN 0-7163-4021-6
How to Pay for the Future by Frank Field, 1996
The Operation of the Child Support Agency by Frank Field, 1996, The Stationery Office Books, ISBN 0-10-207596-4
Reflections of Welfare (Discussion Paper]] by Frank Field, 1998, The Social Market Foundation, ISBN 1-874097-32-1
Stakeholder Welfare by Frank Field, Alan Deacon, Pete Alcock, David G. Green, Melanie Phillips, 2000, Civitas ISBN 1-903386-93-4
The State of Dependency: Welfare Under Labour by Frank Field, 2000, The Social Market Foundation, ISBN 1-874097-52-6
Capitalism, Morality and Markets by Brian Griffiths, Robert A Siciro, Norman Berry and Frank Field, 2001, Institute of Economic Affairs ISBN 0-255-36496-2
William Temple: A Calling to Prophecy by Stephen Spencer and foreword by Frank Field, 2001, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, ISBN 0-281-05437-1
Debating Pensions: Self-Interest, Citizenship and the Common Good by Frank Field and Alan Deacon, 2002, Civitas ISBN 1-903386-24-1
Welfare Titans by Frank Field, 2002, Civitas, ISBN 1-903386-20-9
Neighbours from Hell: The Politics of Behaviour by Frank Field, 2003, Politico's Publishing, ISBN 1-84275-078-X