Phil Sawford became an apprentice carpenter, and worked as a steelworker from 1977 until the closures and mass redundancies at Corby Steelworks in 1980.
17 Facts About Phil Sawford
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Phil Sawford gained a Diploma at Ruskin College, Oxford in 1982, and later gained a BA degree from the University of Leicester in 1985.
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Phil Sawford forged a career in training and personnel development, working for a training partnership in Wellingborough from 1985 to 1997.
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Phil Sawford was first elected to public office as a Member of Desborough Town Council in 1977 and became Chair in 1984.
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Phil Sawford went on to represent Loatland ward on Kettering Borough Council from 1980.
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Phil Sawford was elected leader of the borough council following the 1991 local elections, when Labour became the largest party.
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Phil Sawford continued to serve in the role when they won an overall majority in 1995, but stood down from the Borough and Town councils after his election to Parliament in 1997.
8.
Phil Sawford returned to elected office as a Member of Desborough Town Council in 2018, and became Chair in 2021.
9.
Phil Sawford stood as the Labour candidate for Wellingborough at the 1992 general election, but lost to the Conservative incumbent Peter Fry despite a swing towards Labour.
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Phil Sawford unexpectedly won the Kettering constituency at the 1997 general election, defeating Conservative Cabinet minister Roger Freeman.
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Phil Sawford won with a majority of 189 after three recounts, which meant the election result was one of the last to declare.
12.
Phil Sawford narrowly increased his majority to 665 at the 2001 general election.
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Phil Sawford was a member of the Environmental Audit Committee from 2000 to 2001 and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee from 2001 to 2003.
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Phil Sawford is considered to be on the left of the Labour Party and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group whilst an MP.
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Phil Sawford was a sworn republican, an outspoken campaigner for the abolition of hunting, and an opponent of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
16.
Constituency boundary changes implemented at the 2010 general election gave the seat a notional Labour majority, but Phil Sawford was again defeated by Hollobone with an increased majority of almost 20 percentage points.
17.
Phil Sawford married Rosemary Stokes on 1 May 1971, with whom he had sons Andy and Lee.